CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago announced the appointment of Paulina Pobocha to Chair and Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. In her role, Paulina will lead the Modern and Contemporary Department to build on the existing success of the department’s program of acquisitions, exhibitions, and gallery rotations. She brings vast and diverse expertise as an art historian, writer, and curator specializing in art created between 1900 and today.

Paulina will join the Art Institute from the Hammer Museum where she served as Robert Soros Senior Curator, and has played a crucial role in helping to shape the museum’s contemporary collections and exhibitions program. While at the Hammer, she collaborated with the Art Institute team on Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective, which opens at the Hammer in October. As she joins the team in Chicago, her work will continue to impact audiences across the country through her collaboration with Essence Harden organizing the next edition of the Hammer’s Made in L.A. biennial surveying art from the greater Los Angeles region opening in fall 2025. Additionally, Paulina’s major survey of the work of German artist Thomas Schütte opens at MoMA later this month.

“After an extensive search to identify the right person to lead our exceptional Modern and Contemporary Department, we are thrilled to welcome Paulina to the museum,” said James Rondeau, President and Eloise W. Martin Director at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Paulina’s expertise and vision will build on the momentum our curatorial leaders have already set in place and provide visitors with new and meaningful experiences in our galleries.”

Prior to her work with the Hammer Museum, during her 15-year tenure in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at MoMA, she was central to the conception and display of MoMA’s modern and contemporary collection galleries. She also organized and co-organized numerous exhibitions including YOU ARE HERE* Contemporary Art in the Garden (2023), Guadalupe Maravilla: Luz y fuerza (2021), Constantin Brancusi Sculpture (2019), The Long Run (2017), Rachel Harrison: Perth Amboy (2016), Robert Gober: The Heart Is Not a Metaphor (2014), and Claes Oldenburg: The Street and The Store (2013).

“I look forward to bringing my passion for modern and contemporary art to the Art Institute’s truly extraordinary collection,” said Paulina Pobocha. “I am eager and honored to collaborate with the department’s exceptionally talented team to further increase the impact of the museum’s collection and provide thoughtful, meaningful connections for our audiences.”

Paulina received her BA in art history from the Johns Hopkins University and her MPhil, also in art history, from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She lectures widely, has served as critic at the Yale University School of Art, and is a frequent contributor to Texte zur Kunst. Her first day is November 1, 2024.