SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES ANNOUNCES SEARCH FIRM TO IDENTIFY NEW MUSEUM DIRECTOR

(NEW YORK, NY – October 30, 2007) William Mack, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, announced today that the Board search committee has hired Phillips Oppenheim to conduct a search for a new director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, replacing Lisa Dennison, who left the position in September 2007. The board search committee is co-chaired by Mr. Mack and Jennifer Blei Stockman, president of the Board of Trustees. With the assistance of board member John S. Wadsworth, Jr., the trustees selected Phillips Oppenheim, a firm with a distinguished history in executive recruiting in the not-for-profit sector.

"The search committee and I are fully aware of the significant responsibility we face as we seek a new director for the Guggenheim Museum, especially as we approach our important 50th anniversary celebration of the Museum's iconic Frank Lloyd Wright building. Our strategic plan has clearly defined our mission. Now we must match a talented director to the exciting opportunities in the decades ahead. With Phillips Oppenheim we have already begun to define what we expect of our new director, and now we must find someone with the imagination and skills to ensure that the Guggenheim remains one of the world’s leading arts institutions," said Mr. Mack.

"We will consult broadly and will listen carefully to the advice of the Guggenheim’s executive and senior staff, as well as experts from the academic, museum and cultural communities around the world," said Ms. Stockman. "This important information will ensure that we develop criteria for the position and narrow a slate of candidates for the board's consideration that will match the dynamic future this position offers a new director. The ideal director will have an incredible opportunity to collaborate with and lead a team of art professionals and staff who have made the Guggenheim the excellent institution it is."

The search committee consists of twelve trustees with a distinguished array of public and private sector experience, representing all aspects of the Guggenheim Museum's interests including members who have been on the board for more than a decade, collectors, newer trustees, a Guggenheim family representative, trustees who have a deep and significant involvement with other museum and cultural organization boards, and the Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

The trustees on the search committee are:

William Mack, co-chair; Jennifer Blei Stockman, co-chair; David Ganek; Frederick Henry; Thomas Krens (ex officio); Howard Lutnik; Linda Macklowe; Wendy L-J. McNeil; Edward Meyer; Denise Saul; Stephen Swid; and John S. Wadsworth.

The committee has been meeting to define criteria for the position and both board and staff have begun conversations with Sarah James and Laurie Nash of Phillips Oppenheim to move the search forward expeditiously. The committee has not yet begun to contact candidates nor has it set a deadline to complete the search process.

#1075
October 30, 2007

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Eleanor R. Goldhar / Betsy Ennis
Deputy Director, External Affairs
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
212 423 3528 phone / 212 423 3843
347 754 2768 mobile / 917 783 6553
egoldhar@guggenheim.org / bennis@guggenheim.org

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