New Museum Taps Vivian Crockett and Isabella Rjeille as Curators of the Sixth New Museum Triennial in 2026

Lisa Phillips, the director of the New Museum and Massimiliano Gioni, the Museum’s artistic director, announced Tuesday that Vivian Crockett and Isabella Rjeille have been picked to co-curate the 6th edition of the New Museum Triennial in 2026.

Crockett is a curator at the New Museum and Rjeille is a curator at Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) in São Paulo, Brazil, where she has curated editions of their critically acclaimed Histories programming.

“Isabella is the first international curator to be part of the Triennial and brings a wealth of experience from MASP, one of the most exciting institutions for modern and contemporary art. Vivian has just co-curated the New Museum’s critically acclaimed Wangechi Mutu survey and is part of a new generation of curators shaping the conversation about art and culture at large,” said Gioni in a press release. “Together Isabella and Vivian make for a great team to explore the art of tomorrow.”

The Triennial was founded in 2009 and remains the only recurring exhibition of its kind to highlight emerging artists. The last edition, titled “Soft Water Hard Stone,” featured works by Laurie Kang, Gabriela Mureb, Sandra Mujinga, and others. It took place in 2021 amid the pandemic, resulting in slightly depressed attendance. The 5th edition was curated by Margot Norton of the New Museum and Jamillah James of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

The 6th edition of the Triennial has been pushed back to 2026, as the Museum is currently undergoing a major expansion designed by OMA / Shohei Shigematsu and Rem Koolhaas.