Anne Eschapasse Appointed New Head of the McCord Stewart Museum

A reference in the international museum world takes the helm of Montreal’s museum of social history

Montreal, March 16, 2023 – The McCord Stewart Museum is delighted to announce the appointment of Anne Eschapasse as President and Chief Executive Officer. The new head of Montreal’s museum of social history will assume her position on April 17, 2023.

Ms. Eschapasse is a seasoned manager with more than 20 years’ experience at renowned museums, chiefly in the United States, France and Canada. She has an impressive track record, having served as Deputy Director of Agence France Muséums at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, as Deputy Director of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal and the National Gallery of Canada, and as Director of Productions and International Relations at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris.

“It is with great joy that I accept the mandate from the McCord Stewart Museum’s Board of Trustees to write a new chapter for this unique institution in the Montreal, Quebec and Canadian museum landscape. Creating connections and meaning around its outstanding collections and programs, furthering its dialogue and work with Indigenous communities, sharing Montreal’s history with a wide range of audiences and passing on museological expertise backed by generous and forward-thinking organizational values make for an inspiring and transformative role. I look forward to working with the Museum team to strengthen its position as an institution that is welcoming and accessible to all, firmly rooted in the community and attuned to contemporary realities,” she stated.

Ghislain Picard, Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, added: “The Board has enthusiastically endorsed the appointment of Ms. Eschapasse. There is no doubt she has the talent and skills not only to pursue the McCord Stewart Museum’s essential mission, but also to ensure its continued growth. The new President and CEO will be responsible for implementing the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan, which includes relaunching its ambitious new museum project. Her remarkable track record and in-depth knowledge of the museum world, both in Quebec and internationally, will undoubtedly be a major asset to the institution. We are confident that under her leadership, the Museum will achieve its strategic objectives.”

About Anne Eschapasse

Anne Eschapasse, who was until recently France Museums’ Managing Director at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, is a seasoned arts and culture executive with over 20 years of international experience leading museums and cross-disciplinary teams in the development and delivery of high-profile initiatives and programs.

Eschapasse began her career as a European decorative arts specialist at Christie’s, in New York. From 2003 to 2009, she served as Director of Productions and International Relations at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris, where she directed the joint exhibitions program carried out in cooperation with such leading international museums and galleries as the Uffizi in Florence, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Louisiana in Copenhagen and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. From 2009 to 2011, she worked as Special Projects Manager for the Director and Chief Curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Appointed Director of Exhibitions and Education at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in 2012, she spearheaded the development and planning of its exhibition, educational and cultural programs as well as the design and operations work for the reinstallation of its contemporary art collection in connection with the opening of a new pavilion designed by the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (New York). From 2015 to 2020, she was Deputy Director, Exhibitions & Outreach of the National Gallery of Canada, where she delivered the Gallery’s exhibitions and loans programs, administered its collection and revamped its national and international outreach strategy. Her accomplishments include reinaugurating the Canadian and Indigenous art galleries for the 150th anniversary of Confederation, organizing and directing the European tour of the exhibition Canada and Impressionism and producing several exhibitions for the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. In 2021, she joined the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, where she led its architectural expansion and organizational transformation.

Throughout her career, Eschapasse has overseen the publishing of some 50 scholarly publications, organized over a hundred exhibitions (including some on unprecedented topics) in 14 countries, and lectured on art history, the art market and exhibition management in France, Canada and the United States.

Eschapasse, a dual citizen of France and Canada, earned an M.A. in Private Law from Université Paris II-La Sorbonne, a graduate certificate in Museum Studies from New York University and an M.A. in the History of Decorative Arts, Design and Material Culture from the Bard Graduate Center in New York. She is also an alumnus of HEC Montréal, the Museum (Getty) Leadership Institute in the United States and Attingham Summer School in England. An active member of ICOM, the International Exhibitions Organizers, American Exhibitions Organizers and Polaris: The Museum Mentor Network, she has also served on the boards of the Ottawa School of Art and Culture Montréal. In 2016, she was inducted into France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her work in cultural diplomacy.