AppointmentMarch 13, 2024
Estrellita B. Brodsky named as the New Board Chair at the Hirshhorn Museum
Estrellita B. Brodsky, a very well-known curator, collector, and philanthropist, will lead the Hirshhorn’s 38-member board at a pivotal moment: this year, the Hirshhorn celebrates its 50th anniversary as the national museum of modern and contemporary art.
Brodsky succeeds Dan Sallick, who served on Hirshhorn’s board of trustees for 12 years, 8 of those as chair. He will become a trustee emeritus of the Museum. In addition to the leadership transition, the board approved two new members, Ek-Anong (Aey) Phanachet and Mahshid Ehsani.
The Museum’s director, Melissa Chiu, welcomed Brodsky’s appointment. “Estrellita understands the Hirshhorn’s place in broadening access to the voices of artists,” said Chiu. “At no other time has there been such strong interest in contemporary art. Estrellita’s leadership will help fulfill our mission: to connect artists, their work and ideas with audiences who come to our campus on the National Mall or engage with our programs virtually. I am excited to work together and build on Dan Sallick’s leadership.”
Brodsky received her doctorate from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. She has curated exhibitions on post–World War II Latin American artists including Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez and Julio Le Parc. She has endowed curatorial positions in Latin American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art and supported scholarships in Latin American art at Hunter College and the Institute of Fine Arts. She is a founding member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Latin American Art Initiative and MoMA’s Latin American and Caribbean Fund, and trustee of the Tate Americas Foundation. In 2015, she founded ANOTHER SPACE, a program and not-for-profit exhibition gallery established by the Daniel and Estrellita B. Brodsky Family Foundation to broaden international awareness and appreciation of art from Latin America and its diaspora. She has served on the Hirshhorn’s board since 2022.
Brodsky succeeds Dan Sallick, who served on Hirshhorn’s board of trustees for 12 years, 8 of those as chair. He will become a trustee emeritus of the Museum. In addition to the leadership transition, the board approved two new members, Ek-Anong (Aey) Phanachet and Mahshid Ehsani.
The Museum’s director, Melissa Chiu, welcomed Brodsky’s appointment. “Estrellita understands the Hirshhorn’s place in broadening access to the voices of artists,” said Chiu. “At no other time has there been such strong interest in contemporary art. Estrellita’s leadership will help fulfill our mission: to connect artists, their work and ideas with audiences who come to our campus on the National Mall or engage with our programs virtually. I am excited to work together and build on Dan Sallick’s leadership.”
Brodsky received her doctorate from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. She has curated exhibitions on post–World War II Latin American artists including Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez and Julio Le Parc. She has endowed curatorial positions in Latin American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art and supported scholarships in Latin American art at Hunter College and the Institute of Fine Arts. She is a founding member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Latin American Art Initiative and MoMA’s Latin American and Caribbean Fund, and trustee of the Tate Americas Foundation. In 2015, she founded ANOTHER SPACE, a program and not-for-profit exhibition gallery established by the Daniel and Estrellita B. Brodsky Family Foundation to broaden international awareness and appreciation of art from Latin America and its diaspora. She has served on the Hirshhorn’s board since 2022.
