(New York, April 12, 2016)—Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced today that Quincy Houghton will join the Museum as Associate Director for Exhibitions this summer. Currently Associate Director for Exhibitions at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, she was formally elected to her new position at today’s Executive Committee meeting of The Met’s Board of Trustees.
In her new role, Ms. Houghton will lead The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s broad program of groundbreaking loan exhibitions and installations highlighting aspects of its vast encyclopedic collection.
“Quincy is a consummate museum professional with formidable expertise in all of the complexities of organizing and maintaining a major exhibition program,” said Mr. Campbell. “Her extensive experience encompasses work across the full historic sweep of art, from ancient to contemporary, which is perfectly in sync with the encyclopedic nature of The Met’s exhibitions and collection. I look forward to working with her as she oversees our exhibition program in the years ahead.”
Ms. Houghton commented: “I have treasured every aspect of my work at the Getty, including the inspiring directors with whom I have worked, my superbly talented and dedicated colleagues, and a wide range of ambitious projects. Having enjoyed such a long and rewarding tenure in Los Angeles, I am thrilled to be moving on to new challenges and opportunities at The Met, and look forward to working closely with Thomas Campbell and his exceptional team. I cannot think of a more exciting and dynamic time to become part of this extraordinary institution.”
Ms. Houghton has worked at the J. Paul Getty Museum since 1994, where she is responsible for managing the museum’s exhibition program and installations drawn from the collections, as well as all collection reinstallations. Following the reopening of the Getty Villa in 2006, the Getty now presents more than 20 exhibitions each year across its two sites, including major international loan exhibitions developed by the museum with national and international partners. Acclaimed projects originated by the Getty during Ms. Houghton’s tenure have included Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium; Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture from the Hellenistic World; Drawings by Rembrandt and His Pupils: Telling the Difference; Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture; Holy Image, Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai; and Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe. Over the past two decades, The Met and the Getty have partnered on several projects; an upcoming collaboration will be Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas, currently scheduled to open at the Getty in fall 2017 and travel to The Met in spring 2018.
As part of the Getty’s senior leadership team, she manages the exhibitions department staff as well as the design and preparation departments. From 2001 to 2013, she also supervised all of the museum’s performing arts activities. From 1994 to 1998, as Transition Manager, she coordinated all aspects of the museum’s move from the Getty Villa to the Getty Center, including the installation of the collections.
Prior to joining the Getty, Ms. Houghton worked for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 1991 to 1994 as a special assistant to the director, managing a variety of board-designated projects. From 1985 through 1990, she worked in the Corporate Finance department at Lazard Brothers & Co., Limited, the London investment bank, where as a senior associate she led one of the mergers and acquisitions teams. She also held internships in the paintings departments of The Met (1983), the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1982-83), and Sotheby’s (1981).
Ms. Houghton served on the Board of Trustees of St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, from 2000 to 2004, and of the John Thomas Dye School in Los Angeles from 2005 to 2014. She received a B.A. magna cum laude in Fine Arts from Harvard University in 1984.
She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Christopher Bird, a writer and film executive, and their three children.
At The Met, she will succeed Jennifer Russell, who will retire this spring.
# # #
April 12, 2016
Press resources