Philippe Vergne Appointed Director of Museu Serralves Following Controversial Tenure at MOCA

Philippe Vergne, the French curator, has been named director of the Museu Serralves in Porto, Portugal, after a contentious four-year period leading the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA). His departure from MOCA followed the non-renewal of his contract last year, amid internal strife. In March, Vergne dismissed chief curator Helen Molesworth, citing creative differences, which sparked protests and led photographer Catherine Opie, a trustee, to allege the firing was due to Molesworth undermining the museum. Earlier, artist Mark Grotjahn withdrew from being honored at MOCA's annual gala over diversity concerns, while painter Lari Pittman resigned from the board after voicing similar issues. During a public lecture, Vergne stated that MOCA could not avoid being a white space, highlighting a lack of diversity on the board. At Serralves, Vergne succeeds artistic director João Ribas, who resigned in September in protest after twenty Robert Mapplethorpe works were allegedly removed from a retrospective and the institution closed the show to children. Ribas told Publico that museums should not restrict access to artworks, referencing photographs depicting 1970s New York S&M scenes. Vergne's move to Portugal marks a new chapter amid ongoing institutional challenges.