The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. has appointed philanthropist Darren Walker as its new president. Walker’s will begin immediately.
Walker succeeds businessman and art collector Mitchell P. Rales, who will remain a trustee. Walker himself was already a trustee to the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art, among others.
In a statement, the Gallery’s director Kaywin Feldman said: ‘I look forward to working closely with Darren, who brings a strong vision and knowledge into the role at a vital and exciting time in the National Gallery’s trajectory.”
Walker was previously president of the Ford Foundation, a position he has held for 11 years and was initially due to depart at the end of 2025.
Joining the foundation in 2014 and overseeing $7 billion in grants, Walker’s role at the foundation reshaped its approach in grants giving towards addressing inequality and social justice. In 2017, the foundation launched the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI), a $6 million seed program to increase the diversity of American art museums’ curatorial and management staff. In 2020, it initiated the Disability Futures initiative in partnership with the Mellon Foundation, which gives out $50,000 funds each year to support the practice of artists with disabilities.
During the onset of the pandemic, Walker also led a $1 billion social bond to strengthen nonprofit organisations and organised a consortium of foundations to launch America’s Cultural Treasures, a $300 million fund to help sustain cultural institutions serving non-white communities.
Prior to joining the Ford, Walker was vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation and chief operating officer of Harlem’s Abyssinian Development Corporation.