Mr. Armstrong was appointed Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in November 2008. In this prestigious position, he focuses on the pivotal role of the New York museum and its extraordinary collection while also providing leadership and management for the other institutions in the Guggenheim network: The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin. He is also extremely active in the stewardship of the development of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum.
He works with senior staff to fully maximize all aspects of the Foundation’s operations: permanent collections, exhibition programs, loans, acquisitions, documentation, scholarship, and conservation.
Prior to his appointment to the Guggenheim, Mr. Armstrong was the Director of Carnegie Museum of Art, in Pittsburgh, where he also served as Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art. Under his guidance, the Carnegie also built up its curatorial staff, raised major support for its endowment, renovated its galleries, and expanded the Heinz Architectural Center.
From 1981 to 1992, he was a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, where he organized four Biennales, as well as several other important exhibitions. He previously served as a curator at La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, California.
Mr. Armstrong graduated from Lake Forest College in Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, and the Université de Dijon.
He currently serves in an advisory capacity on a number of foundation boards in Ukraine, Basel, New York, and Pittsburgh. He is also a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors.
Richard Armstrong is highly respected for his leadership, intelligence and integrity by both those involved in and outside of the art community. His dedication to the global mission of the Guggenheim is exemplary, as is his own appreciation for Modern and contemporary art and architecture.
Therefore, I am pleased to welcome Mr. Richard Armstrong and present him on behalf of GEI with the “GEI FRIENDSHIP AWARD” in honor of his many achievements.
The luncheon was held on July 31, 2013 in the Stella Private Room of Le Cirque restaurant in New York City.