Makeda Best Appointed Chief Curator of Photography at MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has announced the appointment of Makeda Best as the next Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz Chief Curator of Photography. Best will join the museum in September 2026, leading one of the world’s most influential photography departments.

Photography has been central to MoMA’s programme since the museum’s founding in 1929, with a dedicated Department of Photography established in 1940. Best will oversee a collection of more than 30,000 works and guide all aspects of the department’s activities, including exhibitions, acquisitions, installations, publications, and loan programmes.

Best succeeds Clément Chéroux, who served as chief curator from 2020 to 2022 and now directs the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris. In the interim, the department has been led by Roxana Marcoci as acting chief curator.

Announcing the appointment, Christophe Cherix praised Best’s distinguished career as a curator, scholar, and institutional leader, highlighting her commitment to exploring photography’s connections to fields including sociology, environmentalism, performance, labour, and civic life.

Best described the appointment as an honour, noting photography’s vital role in helping society understand itself. She expressed her intention to build upon MoMA’s renowned collection, pursue new avenues of research, and support audiences in developing the visual and critical tools needed to navigate an increasingly complex world.

The appointment marks a significant new chapter for MoMA’s photography programme as the institution continues to shape global conversations around the medium and its role in contemporary culture.

Makeda Best. Photo by Unique Nicole