new ways—ways that will focus more on themes rather than chronology, ways that will mix different cultures on the same wall, ways that will display fine arts and decorative arts in the same room. “The world is changing,” he said. “In the museum world, at this point, to me the 20th century seems as far away as the 19th.” Lehman is proud of the fact that some of the populist themes and methods of the Brooklyn Museum have been adopted, in one way or another, by other museums across the country. And he believes that will—or should—happen again with his new focus on the permanent collection. The transformation will take about five years, and Lehman intends to see it through. ■
Profile by Dmitry Kiper Photograph of Arnold Lehman by Andrea Blanch Photogragh of the Brooklyn Museum Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum
Arnold Lehman has served as Director of the Brooklyn Museum, one of the largest art museums in the nation, since 1997. His first official act as Director was to march in Brooklyn’s West Indian Labor Day Parade. Since then, he has prioritized both the individual visitor’s experience and the community’s engagement with the Museum (and the Museum’s relevance to the community) through the presentation of innovative exhibitions and reinstallations of the permanent collection; highly successful public programs that address the diversity of the collection and the community; and a massive capital campaign that has addressed the accessibility of the Museum and the preservation of its collections. Prior to his involvement with Brooklyn, Dr. Lehman ( Ph.D, M.Phil., Yale University) was Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art for almost two decades, and Adjunct Professor of the History of Art at Johns Hopkins University. He has served as the President of the Association of Art Museum Directors and was formerly the Chair of the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) of New York City.
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