FORT WORTH, Texas — Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Director Marla Price is retiring after 30-plus years.
Price, who previously served as an associate curator of 20th-century art at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., came to Texas to join the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth as chief curator in 1986. She was appointed acting director of the museum in April of 1991 and named director in 1992.
Price helped oversee milestones for the museum during her tenure, including the centennial of the 1892 charter for the museum, and the 20th anniversary of the opening of the museum’s current building designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando in Fort Worth’s cultural district in 2002.
The building was described in Artforum that year as “the most elegant museum in the entire country.”
She also helped organize major exhibitions for the museum, including 1989’s “10 + 10: Contemporary Soviet and American Painters,” 1990’s “George Segal: Still Lifes and Related Works” and “Milton Avery: Works from the 1950s” 1991’s “Antony Gormley: Field and Other Figures,” 1996’s “Howard Hodgkin: Paintings, 1975-1995,” and more.
Price also helped expand the museum’s collections, facilitating the acquisition of works, including Francis Bacon’s first self-portrait, a group of pieces by Sean Scully, a Mark Rothko painting bequeathed to the Modern by the late Anne Windfohr Marion, and more. Her first acquisition as director in 1991 was “Cabin Fever,” 1976, by American painter Susan Rothenberg.
The museum’s board chair Marsland Moncrief and board president Rafael Garza praised Price’s leadership.
“Marla elevated the Museum to international prominence through relationships she formed with respected museum partners and world-renowned artists, presenting critically acclaimed exhibitions, and acquiring key works for the permanent collection," Moncrief said. "With her leadership, the Modern has become an outstanding star on a national and international scale, while the mission has grown to be an inclusive community space for people to engage on different levels with the art of our time."
“On behalf of the Board, we extend our sincere gratitude to Marla for her profound effect on the Museum during decades of transformational growth, marked by legacy milestones including the completion of the Modern’s building and the growth and quality of the permanent collection," Garza said. "Her artistic vision and commitment to scholarly excellence have cultivated a robust organization with devoted, longstanding supporters and staff. We honor Marla’s impressive career and generational impact and acknowledge her invaluable guidance, which has positioned the Modern well for continued success."
Price plans to step down in 2024 after a new director is hired. The Board of Trustees has begun an international search led by Search Committee Chair Kim Darden and Koya Partners.
For more information about the museum, visit the museum’s website.
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