Julián Zugazagoitia

Julián Zugazagoitia, a man whose passion for the arts has taken him around the globe, took his post as the fifth director of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in 2010. Since arriving at the Museum, he has shown a high interest in reaching out to the community and in making the Nelson-Atkins more open and accessible to all visitors.

Born in Mexico and educated at the Sorbonne Paris IV in France, Zugazagoitia speaks six languages and has worked at institutions in the Americas and Europe. Before moving to Kansas City, he was the Director/CEO of El Museo del Barrio in New York, a leading institution in the field of Latin American and Latino art. He led the institution through a $35 million renovation project that resulted in new gallery spaces and a refurbished facility. He has also collaborated with such institutions as the Museum of Modern Art, the National Portrait Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Before leading El Museo del Barrio, Zugazagoitia worked at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York as Executive Assistant to the Director. As a consultant and curator, he also worked with the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles and UNESCO, organizing exhibitions, events, and conferences internationally. He also curated exhibitions as Director of Visual Arts with the Spoleto Festival in Italy.

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