Jennifer Thompson Appointed Deputy Director of Collections and Exhibitions

Jennifer Thompson_Deputy Director of Collections and Exhibitions_Philadelphia Museum of Art

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Philadelphia, PA (July 8, 2026) — The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) is delighted to announce Jennifer Thompson as the newly appointed Deputy Director of Collections and Exhibitions. In this role, Thompson will oversee the museum’s Registration, Installations and Packing, Exhibition Planning, and Photography departments. The Deputy Director will provide strategic and operational leadership across these interconnected functions, reflecting the critical role they play in the stewardship of the museum's collections and the successful implementation of its exhibition program.

“Jennifer Thompson brings the curatorial expertise and essential perspective required as we envision the future of the museum together. Under her guidance, she will ensure that our most ambitious ideas are supported by the operational capacity needed to deliver them, allowing us to create exhibitions that are meaningful and innovative while maintaining the highest level of care across these core departments,” said Daniel Weiss, George D. Widener Director and CEO. “It is a privilege to welcome Thompson to the senior leadership team at this pivotal moment in the institution’s history.”

Since joining the PMA in 2001, Thompson has played an essential role in interpreting, displaying, and developing the museum’s collections of European painting and sculpture. She began her career as a research assistant and curatorial fellow before becoming Associate Curator of European Painting and Curator of the Rodin Museum (2008-2015) – a city-owned site and collection administered by the PMA – as well as the Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting & Sculpture, Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, and Department Head (2015-2026). Most recently, Thompson served as the Gisela and Dennis Alter Curator of European Painting, Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, and Head of European Art. In June 2026, she oversaw the opening of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow, an exhibition that brings together two of Vincent van Gogh’s sunflower paintings, one on loan from the National Gallery, London, and one from the museum’s own collection. The exhibition remains on view through October 11, 2026.

Thompson has published widely on Impressionism and the history of collecting, and has organized notable exhibitions including: Mary Cassatt at Work (which traveled from the PMA to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Honolulu Museum of Art in 2024-25); The Impressionist’s Eye (2019); Old Masters Now: Celebrating the Johnson Collection (2017): Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting (which traveled to the PMA from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris and the National Gallery, London in 2014-15); Van Gogh Up Close (which traveled to the National Gallery of Canada in 2012); and Late Renoir (which traveled to the PMA from the Grand Palais, Paris and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2009-10).

In her role as Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, Thompson has been responsible for stewarding over 1,200 Italian, Dutch, Netherlandish, and French paintings assembled by the prominent Philadelphia lawyer and bequeathed to the city in 1917. She earned her M.A. in Art History and Medieval History and her Ph.D. in Art History at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Thompson started as Deputy Director of Collections and Exhibitions on July 1, 2026.

Media Contact
Carolynn McCormack | carolynn.mccormack@philamuseum.org | 215-684-7859

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