The gift honors the legacy of late MoMA PS1 Board member and collector David Teiger (1929-2014) on the 10th anniversary of his passing.
New York, NY , December 10, 2024 — Teiger Foundation announces a $1 million gift to MoMA PS1 for the creation of the Teiger Foundation Exhibition Fund, which directly supports the MoMA PS1 curatorial team by providing funding for their exhibitions—including upcoming solo presentations by Julien Ceccaldi, Whitney Claflin, and Sandra Poulson. The gift is a testament to MoMA PS1’s curatorial vision and Teiger Foundation’s commitment to supporting curatorial excellence, while also celebrating the legacy of the late Foundation’s founder and MoMA PS1 board member David Teiger on the tenth anniversary of his passing. In the lead-up to PS1’s affiliation with MoMA in 2000, David Teiger was the first trustee MoMA nominated for the newly formed MoMA PS1 board.
“Throughout its history, MoMA PS1 has been an incubator for curators working on all platforms, offering an integrated curatorial approach that spans our galleries, the stage, and the city,” said Connie Butler, The Agnes Gund Director, MoMA PS1. “Our curators are pushing forward this important ethos through experimental, international programming. I am so grateful that David’s generosity, through the legacy of the Foundation, will help make the ambitious visions of our curatorial team possible and have a strong impact on the artists in our community.”
“Exhibition funds support long-term planning, allowing curators to develop ideas over time. Work with artists can start earlier and be more collaborative, facilitating experimentation over many months or years,” said Ruba Katrib, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, MoMA PS1. “We are thrilled that the Teiger Foundation Exhibition Fund will enable MoMA PS1 to support artists, pursue urgent ideas, and grow as a team.”
Teiger Foundation is a private foundation devoted to supporting contemporary art curators through an open call for proposals and other funding initiatives. It honors the spirit of its late founder—collector and art patron David Teiger (1929–2014)—who acted as an advocate for contemporary curators pursuing ambitious, innovative, and unconventional projects. David Teiger joined the board of MoMA PS1 in 2000, the same year he helped fund the inaugural Greater New York quinquennial. He gave generously to a wide range of exhibitions at MoMA PS1 until his passing, reflecting his investment in curatorial projects and the priorities of a nimble, experimental institution.
“PS1 opened an avenue for David Teiger to get involved as a board member at a smaller visual art organization, and to grow from an art collector into a patron of emerging artists,” said Larissa Harris, Executive Director, Teiger Foundation. “For David Teiger, PS1 was a springboard from buying art into supporting—and becoming deeply involved in the practice of—exhibitions and exhibition-making. On this tenth anniversary of David Teiger’s death, it’s a perfect time to remember the foundational role PS1 played in his commitment to contemporary art and artists.”
“David’s nomination by MoMA to the newly formed MoMA PS1 board was an experiment,” recalled Alanna Heiss, Founder and Director of MoMA PS1 from 1976 to 2010. “Both of us were apprehensive but we soon fell madly in love. His passion for contemporary art had just been ignited. I re-saw artists through his eyes, and he saw possible exhibitions of artists through my eyes. He was loved and feared by artists for his intelligence, his understanding, and his belief that each artwork should be made with an even greater passion than he had for it. David was most comfortable in the company of artists and curators. On this 10th anniversary of his death, I believe he would be happy to know that, with the support of Teiger Foundation, curatorial teams at PS1 will continue to creatively instigate the controlled madness we call making exhibitions.”
MoMA PS1 has a remarkable and rich history as an artist-centric institution, now under the visionary leadership of curator, author, and art historian Connie Butler, formerly the Chief Curator at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. The first use of the new fund will support the work of three curators—Jody Graf, Elena Ketelsen González, and Kari Rittenbach—and their exhibitions at MoMA PS1 in 2025, including: Spring 2025 Exhibitions Whitney Claflin (Organized by Jody Graf) March 27–August 25, 2025
Julien Ceccaldi (Organized by Kari Rittenbach) March 27–August 25, 2025 Sandra Poulson (Organized by Elena Ketelsen González) April 24–October 6, 2025.
MoMA PS1 Curatorial Team. From left: Ruba Katrib, Elena Ketelsen González, Jody Graf, Sheldon Gooch, Kari Rittenbach. Photo: Marissa Alper.
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