SFMOMA Appoints Anna Katz as New Senior Curator

By Darren Smith, Arts Reporter
August 13, 2026

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has appointed Anna Katz as its new Senior Curator and Head of Painting and Sculpture, marking a significant leadership shift at one of the nation’s premier modern and contemporary art institutions. Katz, who most recently served as Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, will be the first person to hold the newly endowed Doris and Donald Fisher position. She is scheduled to begin her role on August 17.

The appointment, detailed in a recent industry roundup, underscores SFMOMA’s commitment to strengthening its painting and sculpture program at a pivotal moment. Katz arrives with a deep track record of scholarly exhibitions, thoughtful collection building, and a curatorial approach that balances historical rigor with contemporary relevance. At MOCA, she rose through the ranks after joining as a Wendy Stark Curatorial Fellow in 2015, becoming Assistant Curator in 2017, Curator in 2019, and Senior Curator thereafter. Her tenure there produced a series of ambitious projects that expanded the museum’s audience and collection in meaningful ways.

Among her standout exhibitions was the 2021 survey Pipilotti Rist: Big Heartedness, Be My Neighbor, the first major West Coast presentation of the Swiss video artist’s immersive installations. Katz also organized With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art 1972–1985, a groundbreaking scholarly survey of the Pattern and Decoration movement that later traveled to the CCS Bard Hessel Museum of Art. More recently, she curated Ordinary People: Photorealism and the Work of Art since 1968, which reexamined the photorealist tradition through a more inclusive lens, and MOCA Focus: Eddie Rodolfo Aparicio, the first solo museum exhibition for the Los Angeles-based artist. She further shaped collection presentations such as Long Story Short and oversaw the Drawings and Photography Committee, guiding acquisitions of works by artists including Asco, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Christine Sun Kim, and many others.

Katz brings an academic foundation that complements her practical museum experience. She holds a PhD from the Department of Art & Archaeology at Princeton University, where her doctoral research focused on the sculptor Lee Bontecou. Before joining MOCA, she served as a Joan Tisch Teaching Fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art from 2008 to 2013 and taught art history at institutions including UCLA, Pratt Institute, Pomona College, and Occidental College. Her writings have appeared in catalogues and volumes devoted to artists such as Cynthia Carlson, Deborah Remington, and Christina Ramberg.

At SFMOMA, Katz will oversee one of the museum’s core departments at a time when the institution continues to refine the presentation of its permanent collection, including the transformative Fisher Collection galleries. The newly endowed Doris and Donald Fisher Senior Curator role honors the late founders of Gap Inc., whose extraordinary gifts of modern and contemporary art have profoundly shaped the museum’s holdings. As the inaugural holder of this position, Katz steps into a role designed to provide long-term stability and vision for painting and sculpture programming.

The move from Los Angeles to San Francisco represents a natural progression for a curator already deeply engaged with West Coast art ecosystems. Colleagues have long praised her ability to organize exhibitions that feel both intellectually precise and publicly accessible. Her work consistently highlights under-recognized voices alongside canonical figures, a sensibility that aligns with SFMOMA’s ongoing efforts to broaden narratives within its collection and temporary exhibitions.

Museum leadership has expressed enthusiasm for the appointment, viewing Katz as ideally suited to advance the department’s ambitions. Her arrival comes amid broader activity across the Bay Area and national art scenes, where institutions continue to navigate evolving audience expectations, collection stewardship, and the need for fresh curatorial perspectives. Katz’s proven capacity to mount large-scale surveys, support living artists, and strengthen permanent collections positions her to make an immediate impact.

Full details of the appointment were first widely reported in ARTnews, which noted her transition from MOCA and the significance of the Fisher endowment. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art itself has highlighted the role’s importance in its recent communications about leadership and programming. Katz’s prior projects, including her conversations and public programs around artists such as An-My Lê and Pipilotti Rist, further illustrate a collaborative style that values direct engagement with artists and audiences.

In taking on this new chapter, Katz inherits a department with a rich history and substantial resources. SFMOMA’s painting and sculpture holdings range from early modern masters to cutting-edge contemporary practices, offering fertile ground for innovative installations and scholarship. Her experience managing acquisitions and organizing traveling exhibitions should prove especially valuable as the museum continues to present its collection in dynamic ways while developing new temporary shows.

The art world often measures curatorial success by the ability to create exhibitions that linger in the memory and shift institutional thinking. Katz has already demonstrated that capacity repeatedly in Los Angeles. Now, as she prepares to begin at SFMOMA in just a few days, the field will be watching closely to see how her vision takes shape on a larger stage. Her appointment reinforces the importance of experienced, artist-centered curators at a moment when museums are under pressure to remain both relevant and rigorous.

For those following the latest developments in museum leadership and exhibition-making, the full context of this transition and related industry moves can be found in the original reporting at ARTnews. Readers interested in Katz’s earlier work are encouraged to explore the archives of MOCA and the ongoing offerings at SFMOMA, where her influence will soon become visible in the galleries.

Stay engaged with the evolving art world. Visit the museums, support living artists, and follow independent coverage that prioritizes depth over headlines. The next chapter at SFMOMA is just beginning—make sure you are part of it.

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