The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today the appointment of Maria Castro to the position of Jacques & Natasha Gelman Associate Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, following a comprehensive search. Castro has served as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art since 2024 and previously held the role of Assistant Curator in the same department since 2018. Castro’s prior experience includes positions as a Leonard A. Lauder Predoctoral Research Fellow in Modern Art at The Met and an internship at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. She received her PhD and MA in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of Pittsburgh.
Castro joins The Met’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at a pivotal moment as it begins construction on the Oscar L. and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing, designed by Frida Escobedo and scheduled to open in 2030. In her role as Jacques & Natasha Gelman Associate Curator, Castro will work alongside colleagues in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art to reimagine, contextualize, and grow its presentations of art from 1890 to 1950. She will begin at The Met in late September.
Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer, said: “It is my great pleasure to announce this new appointment to the Museum’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art. This is an incredibly active phase for the department, as we plan and implement the renovation of the Oscar L. and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing. I’m delighted that Maria will be joining the Museum as we undertake this important work and continue to build a world-class collection.”
David Breslin, Leonard A. Lauder Curator in Charge of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, said: “I'm elated that Maria will be joining The Met at such a crucial time. Maria is a thoughtful, creative, and diligent curator and scholar specializing in late 19th- and 20th-century Latin American art, with particular emphasis on modernism across the Americas and connections to Europe. Maria is joining a talented team of curators already in place in the department as we prepare for the Tang Wing's opening in 2030. I look forward to working together on this major project and to drawing out the complementary and novel thinking that is only possible when brilliant individuals work collaboratively.”
Castro said: “I am thrilled to be joining The Met, notably at this historic moment as the Museum looks ahead to the forthcoming Tang Wing. I look forward to reimagining the presentation of modern and contemporary art in this context, and within the broader context of The Met’s incredible collection.”
About Maria Castro
Maria Castro is a curator, art historian, and writer specializing in late 19th- and 20th-century art, with particular emphasis on modernism across the Americas and connections to Europe. She has published and presented research on modern art, including on artists Tarsila do Amaral and Diego Rivera, and is currently co-organizing a forthcoming exhibition and catalogue on Henri Matisse’s iconic painting Femme au chapeau of 1905 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. At SFMOMA, where she most recently served as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture, she co-organized the museum’s ongoing permanent collection presentation 1900 to Now: SFMOMA’s Collection and special exhibitions including The 2024 SECA Art Award: Rose D’Amato, Angela Hennessy, and Rupy C. Tut (2024); Sitting on Chrome: Mario Ayala, rafa esparza, and Guadalupe Rosales (2023); Amalia Mesa-Bains: Venus Envy, Chapter I and Madrinas y Hermanas (Godmothers and Sisters) (2022); and Pan American Unity: A Mural by Diego Rivera (2021); and contributed to the major survey Diego Rivera’s America (2022). Additionally, Castro was 2016–18 Leonard A. Lauder Pre-Doctoral Fellow in Modern Art at The Met, where she conducted research on collectors and cultural agents from Latin America, the United States, and Europe for the Modern Art Index Project.
About Modern and Contemporary Art at The Met
The Met’s engagement with art from 1890 to the present spans movements in modernism to contemporary practices from around the world and is represented across numerous curatorial departments. To house this renowned collection of 20th- and 21st-century art, the Museum is undergoing a full reimagining of the current modern and contemporary art galleries, to be renamed the Oscar L. Tang and H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing. Designed by architect Frida Escobedo, the first woman to design a wing in the Museum’s 155-year history, the 126,000-square-foot, five-story wing will provide more than 70,000 square feet for the display of art and include approximately 18,500 square feet of outdoor space spread across the fourth- and fifth-floor terraces. Set to open in 2030, the wing will seamlessly connect with the rest of the Museum while also addressing accessibility, infrastructure, and sustainability needs. More information is available on The Met’s website.
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September 19, 2025
The Met Appoints Maria Castro as Jacques & Natasha Gelman Associate Curator in the Museum’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact: Julie Niemi