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Guggenheim chooses a curator, not a showman

After a seven-month search, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation on Tuesday named Richard Armstrong of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh as its next director.

Armstrong, 59, who has been director of the Carnegie for 12 years, succeeds Thomas Krens, who announced in February that he was stepping down after nearly 20 years.

In a decision that was widely reported in the art world, Guggenheim trustees settled on Armstrong in late August but did not vote formally until its board meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Their choice appears to signal a distinct change in style for the Guggenheim, whose international ambitions under Krens have stirred some conflict within the institution in recent years.

"We were looking for someone with a passion for art who understood that the New York museum is at the center of our universe," said Jennifer Blei Stockman, president of the Guggenheim's board.
Read entire article at International Herald Tribune