NEW YORK - The maverick head of New York`s Guggenheim museum is quitting his post to focus on overseas projects, its directors said Thursday, as the giant art foundation expands its reach abroad.
The foundation, which also runs Guggenheim fine arts institutions in Berlin, Venice, Bilbao and Las Vegas, announced the departure of Thomas Krens, 61, in a statement. He has held the post for 20 years.
It said Krens` future work would be particularly focused on the foundation`s plans to plant another overseas branch bearing the Guggenheim tag in a new museum zone planned in Abu Dhabi.
"During Thomas Krens` tenure, the Guggenheim Foundation has become one of the most important, influential and prestigious cultural institutions in the world," the chairman of the board William Mack said in the statement.
Under Krens, the Guggenheim pioneered the art of exporting big-name museums with its eye-grabbing Bilbao venue, opened in 1997. The titanium structure designed by US architect Frank Gehry now receives a million visitors a year.
"We owe Tom our gratitude for his leadership, dedication and vision," the statement said. "His contribution to re-imagining museums is a gift that has benefited -- and will continue to enhance -- the entire cultural community."
The announcement comes three years after a row between Krens and the former chairman, major Guggenheim donor Peter Lewis.
Lewis resigned after publicly accusing Krens of over-spending and paying too little attention to the Guggenheim`s New York home in favor of new projects overseas.
The overseas trend has since been copied by other major western museums such as Britain`s Tate and the Paris Louvre, which sparked controversy in France by planning to open a Louvre-branded venue in the Abu Dhabi development.
The new director for the New York museum, expected to be chosen in the coming months, will also have authority over the collections and shows at the four other existing Guggenheim branches.
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02/28/2008 22:56 GMT