“By the time I became Director of the Phillips Collection in 2023, Director Emerita Dorothy Kosinski already had made the decision to book Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line as the first venue on a five-city tour in the U.S. and Mexico. I’m glad she did! The exhibition is outstanding and has had a very successful run at the Phillips, bolstered by terrific reviews in The Washington Post (read it here) and Wall Street Journal (read it here).

David organized this tour on behalf of his client, the Mucha Foundation (Prague). Now that this exhibition nears its close at the Phillips, it’s my pleasure to reflect on the ways in which David’s oversight of this exhibition contributed importantly to its success at the Phillips. Attendance at Timeless Mucha has been much better than expected. This is cause for celebration for any museum, especially in a post-Covid world.

Third-party organizers of exhibition tours typically would book a show and leave it at that. David, however, remained very involved in every detail of this project:

  • Production of the stunning, scholarly companion exhibition catalogue
  • Coordinating details around the opening events with the Czech Embassy and other special guests
  • Working with our PR/marketing, development, retail, special events, education and audience engagement staff to maximize outreach into the community

His oversight was highly professional, helpful, and encouraged my trust, such that I was able to focus my attention elsewhere, which is always appreciated by a museum director. David’s long experience working in museums proved to be a huge asset — 20+ years as Deputy Director of Walker Art Center alone.

David’s work with our curators and the entire team spanned issues about content to concerns with mounting. He was a valued contributor to the process throughout. David was never short of ideas, from the practical to the more academic, which is a unique combination. All the while, he maintained a positive, can-do attitude. He helped deliver successful results for the institution, and we’re very grateful for that.

I would welcome the opportunity to work with David again.”