MILWAUKEE, WI.- The Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) announced today that Kim Sajet has been selected as the organization’s next Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director.

Kim Sajet is a museum leader and arts advocate, and until recently was the director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. During her twelve-year tenure, she expanded the gallery’s reach through innovative exhibitions and public programs that brought a contemporary focus to the museum’s collections. Under Sajet’s leadership, museum attendance doubled and major capital improvements were made—including reinstalling the America’s Presidents gallery. She also raised more than $85 million for the gallery’s operations and endowment.

“MAM’s ability to attract talent of Kim Sajet’s caliber—who is among only a handful of world-class, values-based museum leaders—speaks to the excellent reputation and collections represented by the Museum and its role as a cultural cornerstone of our community and the nation,” said Andy Nunemaker, Chairman of the Milwaukee Art Museum Board of Trustees. “This moment marks a unique opportunity to bring in a leader who can unlock the Museum’s full potential and advance its vision of connecting people with art and with each other, creating experiences that inspire, spark curiosity, and bring joy, while also sharing the Museum’s story on the national and international stage.”

A resident of the United States for nearly three decades, Sajet brings a truly international perspective to her role, having been born in Nigeria to Dutch parents and raised in Australia. Before directing the National Portrait Gallery, she served as President & CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Vice President and Deputy Director at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Director of Corporate Relations at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She has also directed two museums in Victoria, Australia, and has close ties to museums in the Netherlands. Sajet holds a BA and MBA from Melbourne University, an MA in Art History from Bryn Mawr College, and a doctorate in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the International Council of Museums (ICOM), and the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), where she served on the board from 2021 to 2025. Formerly the host of the PORTRAITS podcast—nominated for a Webby Award in 2025—Sajet is currently completing a book with Princeton University Press on early photography and the carte-de-visite album of American social reformer Emily Howland.

As the new Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, Sajet is excited to be leading a museum with a significant international collection in one of America’s most innovative and entrepreneurial cities. “From the first moment that I started talking to the search committee,” she reflected, “I was impressed with how passionate everyone was about the museum and how they saw it as a central part of what makes Milwaukee a world-class city. The general vibe is entrepreneurial, culturally vibrant, and refreshingly authentic. This sense of experimentation is also a major part of the museum’s collecting and exhibition history. Since 1982, for example, the Currents series has provided an important platform for contemporary artists such as Cindy Sherman, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Isaac Julien and Lawrence Weiner to launch their careers, and international artists such as Damien Hirst and Idris Kahn to have their first American showing. I am keen to expand on this commitment to living artists and also explore the educational opportunities that flow from the art and design of the past. The museum itself is gorgeous, and I want to invite everyone across the country to see for themselves what a special place this is.”

“Kim brings with her a passion for making museums educational and meaningful while also ensuring accessibility and fun,” said Nunemaker. “We believe more visitors and patrons to the Museum is a good thing, not only to support the sustainability of the organization, but to engage in the Museum’s vision of connecting with art and each other.”

Sajet joins the Museum at a milestone moment, as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Bradley Collection of Modern Art—nearly 400 modern masterpieces that transformed the Museum and put Milwaukee on the cultural map. This remarkable gift brought major artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, and Andy Warhol to Milwaukee, establishing the Museum as a leading center for modernism.

The Museum will mark this anniversary with the Art Forward Gala on September 20 and will open a special tribute exhibition, The Bradley Collection of Modern Art: A Bold Vision for Milwaukee, on September 25.

“To begin my tenure during this milestone exhibition is a privilege, and a reminder of the impact that art—and the generosity behind it—can have on a community for generations,” said Sajet.

Sajet begins her role effective September 22, 2025