Pierre Terjanian will be the next CEO and Ann and Graham Gund Director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the institution announced Thursday. Terjanian currently serves as the museum’s chief of curatorial affairs and conservation and will succeed Matthew Teitelbaum, who announced his retirement last June.
Terjanian joined GBH’s The Culture Show Friday for his first interview since his selection and said taking on the job is “humbling.”
“It’s a big responsibility, but it’s a great opportunity, too,” he said.
“We believe in cultural institutions and what they can do to make life better — for everyone,” Terjanian added.
The MFA’s Board of Trustees formally elected Terjanian as the 12th director in the museum’s 155-year history at a special meeting Thursday. He was selected after a seven-month-long search overseen by a board-appointed committee.
“Pierre’s brilliant curatorial vision, deep understanding of the MFA and our renowned collections, and inspirational leadership style have led the Board of Trustees to unanimously choose him to lead the Museum confidently and boldly into the future,” Marc S. Plonskier, chair of the MFA’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement.
Asked about his experience taking up the mantle at a time when federal funding for cultural institutions is being slashed, Terjanian says he sees it as part of the role of an institution.
“An institution provides stability in times of change — which is not to say institutions shouldn’t and can’t change,” he said. “At this particular time, it’s more important than ever to reintroduce context, multiple voices, nuances, things that are universal, and draw from authentic experiences based on the collection.”
Terjanian brings almost three decades of experience to the role, including time spent at the MFA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He joined the MFA in January 2024 to oversee the planning and management of the museum’s more than 500,000 pieces as well as the institution’s conservation efforts.
When it comes to how he first picked up his passion for art, Terjanian says it came late. His early exposure was, sort of, through working for his father: a Persian carpet dealer
“I worked for him during the summers, rolling carpets and putting them in trucks,” Terjanian recalled. “So, to the degree that I grew up with art, I remember what wool smells like in the presence of antique carpets.
“I didn’t even know, when I was in my early 20s, you could have a career in the arts. And I never found anything as intriguing and rewarding as bringing a voice back to objects that become silent,” he continued. “I trained as a lawyer, and then I got a business degree — and it just hit on me that art was going to be my calling.”
In a press release, MFA Board of Trustees President Emi Winterer said Terjanian’s name repeatedly came up during the search process.
“He quickly earned the trust and respect of his colleagues and has all the intangibles to lead an institution as storied and significant as the MFA,” Winterer said.
Before coming to Boston, Terjanian served for 10 years as the Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Curator in Charge of Arms and Armor at The Met. There, he oversaw a collection of objects from across continents that dated back to the Stone Age.
The French government recently recognized his cultural contributions by naming him a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et de Lettres.
In a period where arts funding is under threat, Terjanian has a reputation as a prolific fundraiser, netting $100 million in gifts, bequests and pledges of works of art. Among them, a significant gift for The Met from Ronald S. Lauder.
In a statement, retiring Director Teitelbaum praised his successor, calling Terjanian an inspiring colleague.
“His dedication to the curatorial field, and across museum functions, is deeply informed by his unwavering commitment to inquiry, strategy, and working with others to address the critical issues facing public institutions today,” he said.
Terjanian will begin his new role on July 1, 2025.
