Sasha Suda, director and CEO of the newly renamed Philadelphia Museum of Art, was fired on Tuesday, according to media reports. Philadelphia Inquirer and philadelphia magazine.
art news The agency has been contacted for comment. The museum continues to list Sudar as its leader on its website.
philadelphia magazine Sudha reportedly learned of her firing this morning via an email that said she was being fired for “reason,” although the email reportedly didn’t specify what the reason was. After the email was sent, “the board held a meeting and appeared to be told what the specific reasons were,” according to the publication.
The news comes a day after Souda was fired, although it’s not entirely clear why he was fired. inquirer Published a report on the museum’s recent rebranding. The institution, formerly known as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, now calls itself the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Suda said the museum changed its name to more clearly emphasize its location. “Our focus and vision are unabashedly Philadelphia; we are opening our doors to provide more collaborative and future-focused services to all,” she said. But the rebrand was derided online by observers, who claimed the museum had done little to change itself.
It doesn’t seem to be popular internally either. Museum board member Yoram (Jerry) Wind told inquirer He and other trustees were not informed of the change in advance. “We had expected to see it after the board had given feedback and wanted to see the final version so we could approve it or at least see what they planned to do. It’s already rolled out, so we’re as surprised as everyone else,” he said.
However, Sudha was also controversial internally for other reasons. according to citizens of philadelphiasome trustees disagreed with the publication’s alleged emphasis on “inclusion.”
Suda came to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2022, having previously served as Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada. At the time, the museum was already facing public scrutiny following reports that it failed to properly investigate an employee accused of sexual misconduct. The agency’s longtime director, Timothy Rub, resigned before Souda took over the helm.
But under Sudar, internal dissent appears to be growing. Almost from the start, her leadership was denounced by union workers, who went on strike shortly after taking her new role. Seventeen days passed before Suda acknowledged the work stoppage; it took two more before the museum and the union reached a new contract agreement. However, even in 2024, union representatives still claim that their workers and Suda are locked in tense negotiations.
In Tuesday’s report, inquirer It was also noted that the museum has been operating at a loss for years and has seen declining attendance since the pandemic, as has been the case with most U.S. institutions.
The museum has also seen one high-profile departure under Suda: Carlos Basualdo, who had been with the museum for 17 years before Suda named him deputy director and chief curator in 2022. Basuldo, whose past curatorial experience includes the acclaimed Jasper Johns retrospective, left the position “approximately a year ago,” according to the museum. inquirerthe newspaper also noted that the museum had not publicly announced the matter.
both inquirer and philadelphia magazine It is unclear who will lead the museum next, it said.
