Hammer Museum names a new director, ending speculation over one of L.A.’s prized art posts

One of the highest profile jobs in L.A.’s art world has officially been filled: The UCLA Hammer Museum in Westwood announced Monday that its next director will be Zoë Ryan, who arrives from the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ryan will replace Hammer director Ann Philbin, who after transforming the museum over 25 years, is scheduled to depart in November. Ryan, who will start in January, said in an interview that she has long admired how the Hammer has elevated experimental interdisciplinary artists. She also said she intends to build on Philbin’s signature accomplishments, including the Made in L.A. biennial and Hammer Projects, with its deep commitment to emerging voices.

“In many ways the Hammer shares my values and interests,” Ryan said. “Its mission is artist-centered. Its program is at the intersection of art and social justice, and it has a strong connection to the university. This is an environment that I find really rewarding.”

Philbin wrote in an email that she first got to know Ryan when the Hammer and ICA co-presented a 2022 retrospective of Ulysses Jenkins, an important L.A.-based video artist who had not been given his due.

“Zoë has demonstrated a real commitment to artists and specifically to those who have been on the margins,” Philbin said. “She shares the Hammer’s commitment to celebrating risk-taking, experimentation, and diverse voices. She also deeply understands the unique opportunities that come with leading a museum that serves the public while also benefiting from being part of a major university.”

Philbin is known for centering artists, treating them as partners and elevating their profiles. During her tenure, the Hammer staged the first museum shows for the likes of Mark Bradford, Jonas Wood and Njideka Akunyili Crosby and mounted career retrospectives for impactful L.A. artists such as Lari Pittman, Andrea Bowers and Al Ruppersberg.

“I love that the Hammer is a place that really cherishes, nurtures and serves the artists and, if I know anything about Zoë, I know that that is a legacy that she will continue,” Philbin said.

Before joining ICA, Ryan spent 14 years as the chair and curator of architecture and design at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was in charge of a collection of more than 250,000 objects, including architectural models, furniture and photography. Architecture and design have not been at the forefront of the Hammer, so Ryan’s expertise presents an opportunity.

“I take a very expansive view of what is an artistic practice, and obviously architecture design is very important to that,” said Ryan, noting L.A.’s rich architectural history, especially when it comes to modern architecture.

She also pointed to the design of the Hammer Museum itself, which recently completed a $90-million expansion and renovation by Michael Maltzan Architecture. Two decades in the making, the finished project debuted to the public in March 2023. Entrances were enhanced and gallery ceilings were raised. An auditorium was revamped, and a performance space, study room and storage area were added.

Maltzan and Philbin worked hard to make the Hammer more open and porous, said Ryan. “Michael is adept at making these campus-like buildings that engage visitors within the galleries, but also in the public spaces. So for me, it’s such an exciting experience to be in the Hammer.”

Also exciting to Ryan is the prospect of partnering with other L.A. arts leaders and institutions, as evidenced by an announcement in August that the Hammer, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art were taking joint ownership and management of a collection of 260 works of art gifted by philanthropists Jarl and Pamela Mohn.

The collection of works by L.A.-based artists, known as MAC3, has a nearly $20-million endowment for future acquisitions, storage and care of the art. The Hammer contributed 80 works collected over the 12 years of its “Made in L.A.” biennials, and16 more pieces were added from “Made in L.A. 2023” by curators from all three museums. The MAC3 collection stands at 356 paintings, sculptures and mixed media works, and every other year new pieces will be added from future “Made in L.A.” biennials.

“That, for me, is the way of the future,” said Ryan. “Where you’re pooling resources, but also sharing in this incredible collection drawn from ‘Made in L.A.,’ with work by some of the brightest artistic minds in the city.”