Adam Weinberg, the longstanding director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, is set to step down later this year, as revealed by the institution today. Scott Rothkopf, currently serving as the senior deputy director and chief curator, will assume Weinberg’s role on November 1. Weinberg’s leadership, beginning in 2003, has been characterized by numerous transformations and controversies within the museum.
During Weinberg’s tenure, the Whitney transitioned from the Upper East Side to its new Renzo Piano-designed facility in the Meatpacking District in 2015. The 2017 Whitney Biennial sparked protests due to Dana Schultz’s contentious painting of Emmett Till, while in 2018, Hyperallergic exposed that Whitney trustee Warren Kanders’s company supplied tear gas used at the US border. This led to significant staff protests and ultimately Kanders’ resignation in 2019.
The museum attributes increased attendance, membership, staffing, and a significant endowment growth to Weinberg’s leadership. However, his term also faced challenges, such as major staff layoffs in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic-related financial issues. In response to unlivable wages and job security concerns, the museum staff moved to unionize in May 2021, achieving their first contract after 16 months of negotiations.
Weinberg will become an honorary trustee and continue to work on projects like converting the Roy Lichtenstein Studio into a permanent home for the Whitney’s Independent Study Program. Scott Rothkopf, a Harvard-educated art historian from Dallas, joined the Whitney as a curator in 2009 and has curated several notable exhibitions, including shows on Jasper Johns and Glenn Ligon.
