WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden announced the election of Estrellita B. Brodsky as chair of its board of trustees.

A curator with a doctorate in art history, Brodsky is a collector and philanthropist committed to advancing the presence and appreciation of modern and contemporary art, notably art from Latin America and its diaspora. Brodsky will lead the Hirshhorn’s 38-member board at a pivotal moment: the Hirshhorn this year celebrates its 50th anniversary as the national museum of modern and contemporary art. Brodsky will lead the board of trustees as the Museum continues its mission-driven transformation to revitalize its Sculpture Garden on the National Mall. On Friday, Feb. 23, she will introduce artist Simone Leigh in advance of the 2024 James T. Demetrion Distinguished Artist Series in the Hirshhorn’s auditorium.

Brodsky succeeds Dan Sallick, who served on the 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 also 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 she is a 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.

“I am honored to serve as board chair,” said Brodsky, “and to continue the visionary and committed board leadership established by my predecessor, Dan Sallick. As the national museum of international modern and contemporary art, the Hirshhorn fosters an artistic and educational program by promoting access to art for all, reflecting the nation’s varied perspectives and global voices. I look forward to advancing the Museum’s mission and collaborating with the board, staff, curators and fellow
Smithsonian museums.”

The first major exhibits scheduled to open under Brodsky’s leadership will be “Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960” and “OSGEMEOS: Endless Story,” the first US museum survey and largest US installation of work by identical twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo, known globally as OSGEMEOS.

“The Hirshhorn has never been in a stronger place,” said Sallick. “Estrellita’s experience as board co-chair at El Museo del Barrio, visiting curator at Pérez Art Museum Miami, adjunct professor at Hunter College and focused collector makes her an ideal leader to collaborate with Hirshhorn communities to broaden the impact of America’s most accessible modern and contemporary art museum.”

He cited the ongoing revitalization of the Sculpture Garden, approved in 2022, and Annabelle Selldorf/SOM’s revitalization of the Museum Plaza and building as a reaffirmation of the Museum’s commitment to maintaining its place at the forefront of modern and contemporary art and creating spaces for broad audiences. Sallick was instrumental in the creation and launch of Hirshhorn Eye, the Museum’s award-winning video guide that uses image recognition technology to connect audiences with artists, and the virtual activation of artworks including Yoko Ono’s “Wish Tree for Washington, DC” (2007) during the pandemic.

New board appointees:

• Following a successful career in investment banking, Ek-Anong (Aey) Phanachet established 100 Tonson, a Bangkok gallery-turned-nonprofit focused on supporting and promoting Thai contemporary art, in 2003.

• Mahshid Ehsani holds master's degrees in systems management and biomedical informatics from the University of Southern California and Columbia University, respectively. A philanthropist with a commitment to health education and awareness, Ehsani is also a collector who has supported arts initiatives and exhibitions at the Andy Warhol Museum, the Asia Society Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.