Photo by Evie Bishop / Courtesy of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Andrea Karnes
Chances are you've seen Andrea Karnes roaming the galleries at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, carrying that air of confidence coupled with a down-to-earth demeanor and wealth of knowledge to answer any questions about certain works.
Karnes was the senior curator at the Modern — was, because her work in recent years just earned her a big promotion.
Modern director Marla Price announced Wednesday that Karnes has been named chief curator, in charge of directing the museum's exhibition program, organizing special exhibitions, coordinating with guest curators, directing acquisitions, and overseeing the installation of the renowned permanent collection.
"Andrea is dedicated to this museum and to our curatorial goal to increase the diversity and broaden the narrative of exhibitions and acquisitions," Price said in a statement. "She will continue to introduce new artists to our community."
Karnes has been with the Modern since the early 1990s, instrumental in numerous acquisitions for the permanent collection. Works by KAWS, Takashi Murakami, Thornton Dial, Teresita Fernández, and more have all reached the Modern thanks to Karnes. She was also responsible for curating the Modern's FOCUS series from 2005 to 2015, organizing 30 solo exhibitions of international artists from Jeff Elrod to Kehinde Wiley.
Other highlights from Karnes' career include the "Hubbard/Birchler: No Room to Answer" exhibit in 2009; "KAWS: WHERE THE END STARTS" in 2016, which broke the Modern’s attendance records to date; and in 2018, "Laurie Simmons: Big Camera/Little Camera," a 40-year survey of works which later traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
Karnes is currently working on a new exhibit, "Women Painting Women," set to run May 15 – Sept. 25, 2022.
Find more information about The Modern at themodern.org.