The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum announced that it appointed Dr. Melissa Chiu as the director of the New York location on April 9. Starting in September, Chiu will have the responsibility of leading the museum artistically and operationally.

The museum collects contemporary art from New York and abroad, and originated from Solomon R. Guggenheim’s personal art collection.

Mariët Westermann — the current CEO and director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation — welcomed the new director.

“Melissa has an outstanding and inspiring track record of leadership in the arts, most recently as Director of the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden,” Westermann said in a press release. “She transformed the Hirshhorn with the international and local disposition that is so special to our institution, and I look forward to working in close partnership with her.”

“It is an honor to be appointed Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, a singularly iconic institution that has played a vital role in shaping culture since 1959,” Chiu said in a press release, expressing her delight in joining the team and continuing to sustain the museum’s future.

As the director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., Chiu emphasized the vitality of being an accessible institution, advocating for public programs and acquisitions.

Her strategies led to a 75% increase in fundraising for the museum and twice the amount of attendance in three years. She also secured two multi-million-dollar gifts to the Hirshhorn.

Milestones made during her time working at the Hirshhorn did not go unnoticed by others at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

“I have followed Melissa Chiu’s career for many years and seen her transform the Hirshhorn Museum into one of the most dynamic destinations for modern and contemporary art in the country,” J. Tomilson Hill, the chair of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation board of trustees, said.

“She has proved that she can lead with a clear vision that is both local and global, working across complex institutions… We are delighted that Melissa is joining the Guggenheim in New York and look forward to all that she will accomplish alongside her brilliant colleagues.”

Chiu said during an interview with The Guardian that her departure is unrelated to President Trump’s efforts to reshape the Smithsonian Institution for the nation’s upcoming anniversary.