El Museo del Barrio, the East Harlem museum that focuses on Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino art, announced today that it has tapped Margarita Aguilar to be its new director, ending a search that has lasted for more than a year.
Ms. Aguilar’s appointment marks something of a homecoming, since she served as curator of El Museo del Barrio from 1998 to 2006. Since then she has worked at Christie’s as a vice president and senior specialist in Latin American art.
Moving from the commercial art world to the museum world, Ms. Aguilar is charting an unusual career path. Last year, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art raised some eyebrows when it appointed art dealer Jeffrey Deitch as its director, though Mr. Deitch did not haev Ms. Aguilar’s years of museum curatorial experience.
El Museo’s previous director, Julián Zugazagoitia, announced his resignation last March, and began as director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, in September. El Museo’s director of finance and administration, Georgina M. Nichols, has served as interim director since Mr. Zugazagoitia’s departure.
