Melissa Chiu will step down as director of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden on Aug. 31, ending a 12-year run before moving to New York City to become the next director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Her departure closes a long chapter for the Smithsonian’s national museum of modern and contemporary art in Washington, where Chiu has led since 2014. Deputy Director Aaron Seeto will serve as interim director during the transition, while the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden revitalization remains on track to reopen in fall 2026.
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III said Chiu guided the museum with thoughtfulness and purpose, strengthening its role as a national museum while supporting artists, scholars and the public. In her own farewell, Chiu said it had been an honor to work alongside the staff, artists and partners who make the Hirshhorn such a dynamic institution, adding that together they expanded how the museum engages with audiences in Washington and across the country.
Chiu’s tenure was marked by growth, innovation and a wider public reach, with the museum deepening its commitment to artists, scholarship and public programming while also strengthening fundraising, expanding its collection and advancing digital and educational initiatives. Her move to the Guggenheim leaves the Hirshhorn with a familiar question: whether that pace of expansion can continue through the transition and into the garden’s 2026 reopening.
