Glenn Lowry, President of MoMA for 30 years: “I never felt completely American”

Share this article

10th anniversary

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Judith Benhamou Reports, not only did I have our website logo redesigned and brought back to life by the highly talented graphic designer Yorgo Tloupas, founder of Yorgo&Co.

Glenn Lowry In Conversation with Judith

 I also organized “In Conversation with Judith” inviting five major figures from the contemporary art world to speak publicly with me: Hans Ulrich Obrist (artistic director, Serpentine Gallery), Maja Hoffmann( founder, Luma Arles), Glenn Lowry, Rirkrit Tiravanija(artist) and Lina Ghotmeh( architect).

All the interviews took place in L’appartement Piaget, in the heart of Paris. Glenn Lowry is the first to appear here. There have only been six directors of MoMA since the museum opened in New York in 1929. Glenn Lowry held this position for 30 years, until September 2025. Paris is now his adopted city, where he is currently spending six months. In June 2025 he gave a talk at the Centre Pompidou. Between 17 November and 1 December 2025, he will hold the Louvre Chair, delivering a series of five lectures titled “I want a museum. I need a museum. I imagine a museum.” Yet what he shared with us here is far more personal. How does one cope with the pressure of such an institution? How does one find hundreds of millions of dollars twice over to expand its walls? Where does his extraordinary determination come from?

Sustain Our Work with a Small Monthly Gift

It’s very simple. Just $10 a month allows us to keep going.
Reliable information is valuable.

Click here to make a donation Make a donation

Ski champion and more

To understand this remarkable character, you need to look back to his childhood: a father who wanted him to become a ski champion, and a French mother who left for the United States during the Second World War, sending him every summer on holidays to Aix-les-Bains. Which leads him to say today: “I never felt completely American.” He declares his full support for the President of the Louvre after the theft of the crown jewels, stressing how vulnerable museums truly are.He shares his vision in perfect French, along with his groundbreaking ideas for the museum of tomorrow, such as the notion that masterpieces can overshadow the presence of the most contemporary works: “The weight of this history prevents the possibilities of the future.”

In the room, Suzanne Pagé, Artistic Director of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and Philippe Vergne, Director of the Serralves Foundation in Porto, also reacted to his thoughts.

The video is almost an hour long. Enjoy the conversation!

Share this article

Support independent art journalist

If you value Judith Benhamou Reports, consider supporting our work. Your contribution keeps JB Reports independent and ad-free.

Choose a monthly or one-time donation — even a small amount makes a difference.
You can cancel a recurring donation at any time.

Select Payment Method
Personal Info

Credit Card Info
This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.
Billing Details

Donation Total: 50,00€ for 12

Oct 30, 2025

The Latest :
TEFAF Maastricht and Its (Almost) Leonardo da Vinci

TEFAF Maastricht and Its (Almost) Leonardo da Vinci

Viral image This image went around the world. In November 2017, Christie’s sold a remarkably rare painting by Leonardo da Vinci, a Salvator Mundi painted around 1500, for $450 million, making it the most expensive work ever sold at auction. The fact that this depiction of Christ by one of the most famous artists of […]

Forget the scandals: discover the Louvre’s new little gallery of wonders

Forget the scandals: discover the Louvre’s new little gallery of wonders

Immense ambitions The Louvre once had immense ambitions. Then came the controversies — the resignation of its president, water leaks, strikes, and even a spectacular burglary — that buried the world’s largest museum under a mountain of problems. As early as 2000, the Pavillon des Sessions had been created at the initiative of Jacques Chirac. In […]

At the ARCO Fair in Madrid. The Time of Political Art

At the ARCO Fair in Madrid. The Time of Political Art

Mood of war When the mood is one of war, it is hardly one for buying art. The contemporary art fair Art Dubai was scheduled to take place from April 17 to 19, 2026, in the tourist hub of the United Arab Emirates. On March 2, just two days after the outbreak of the violent […]

Get a JB Reports subscription today:

Don’t miss a thing. Become a JB subscriber and receive the newsletters as soon as they are published. Judith Benhamou Reports has access to the most influential professionals in the art world, presenting interviews with artists, both recognized and up-and-coming, and offering an insider perspective on fairs and exhibition openings, exclusive videos, and unconventional visits to sites of artistic creation across the globe.