OTTAWA — The director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada is leaving for the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The National Gallery says Sasha Suda has resigned and that her last day is July 9. The U.S. museum says she will assume her new post Sept. 21.
Suda leaves after just three years with Canada's premier gallery, where she was tasked with revitalizing and drawing new audiences to the 142-year-old institution.
In a release from the gallery, she calls her Ottawa post "the opportunity of a lifetime."
In a separate statement from the Philadelphia museum, Suda says she's honoured to join the PMA, which she has "long admired."
The chair of the gallery's board says it will seek a new CEO who "will continue to advance our cultural transformation." An interim director and CEO will be announced shortly.
Françoise Lyon added in a release Tuesday that the board was sorry to see Suda leave. She praised her leadership in creating the gallery's first strategic plan, recruiting new talent and forging ties with Algonquin elders "to shape a new future for the institution together."
Meanwhile, the board of trustees of the Philadelphia Museum of Art touted Suda's "new-generation leadership" in announcing her new role as the George D. Widener director and CEO.
"We believe Sasha's arrival will mark a new era of growth and civic engagement for the museum," chair Leslie Anne Miller said in a museum statement.
"She is an accomplished arts scholar with an inspiring vision for the museum's future and a proven commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Sasha is the leader we need at this transformational moment."
Suda heads to the PMA to replace beleaguered outgoing leader Timothy Rub, who faced criticism last year of his handling of staff scandals that included reports of harassment, and gender and equity issues.
Previously curator of European art at Toronto's Art Gallery of Ontario, Suda said she looks forward to working collaboratively to enhance the museum's relevance "and build on its success locally, nationally, and globally."
Founded in 1877, Philadelphia's art museum is among the largest in the United States, with more than 240,000 works of art and strong concentrations in the arts of Asia, the Americas, Europe, and global contemporary practice.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2022.
The Canadian Press
