Susan L. Talbott, CEO and director of downtown Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, will retire next fall after more than seven years in the position, the museum announced Friday.
Talbott plans to pursue other opportunities, such as consulting and organizing exhibitions.
She is delaying her departure until the Wadsworth’s $33 million gallery upgrade and expansion project is complete to ensure a smooth transition.
Wadsworth plans to reopen a total of 26 refurbished galleries and seven public spaces totaling approximately 16,000 square feet. The project will mean 25 percent more gallery space, achieved without any new construction.
“Looking ahead, I am eager to explore a different chapter in my life and career, and can do so assuredly, knowing the museum is stronger and poised for continued success in the future,” Talbott said in a statement.
Wadsworth officials credited Talbott with raising the museum’s international profile through exhibitions on 1960s and 1970s musician and visual artist Patti Smith’s photography and early 17th-century Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio paintings. She also oversaw the acquisition of nearly 500 artworks.
She helped grow the museum’s endowment from $84 million in 2008 to $101 million today.
Wadsworth will launch a search for her replacement next year.
