Patrick Moore, director of The Andy Warhol Museum, will resign in May, the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh announced Friday.
Moore has worked at the Warhol since 2011 and was named director in 2017. His signature initiative is The Pop District, announced in 2022 as a 10-year project to remake the museum’s corner of the North Side with public art, youth-oriented workforce-development programs, and a planned live performance venue.
The District drew a dramatic $25 million in startup money from two local foundations, unveiled a major public artwork, ran educational programs for youths and adult entrepreneurs, and advanced plans for the new venue. However, as WESA reported in December, a number of current and former employees criticized the initiative as a distraction from the museum’s core mission and objected to Moore’s management style.
While director, Moore also served as curator for touring exhibits of Warhol’s work in China, Saudi Arabia and The Netherlands.
The Warhol, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, is among the city’s biggest tourist draws.
In a statement, Carnegie Museums president and CEO Steven Knapp praised Moore as “an excellent partner and advisor.” Knapp added, “He helped us navigate the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his efforts in both global outreach and community engagement here in Pittsburgh have significantly advanced the reputation and impact of Carnegie Museums as a whole.”
Before coming to the Warhol, Moore worked for the Alliance for the Arts in New York City, where he was the creator and project director of The Estate Project, a program that addressed the impact of the AIDS crisis on the national arts community through advocacy, preservation and fundraising.
His first role at the Warhol was as director of development, deputy director and managing director. When museum director Eric Shiner resigned, in 2016, Moore became interim director and then was hired as director.
In a statement, Moore said, “My 13 years at The Warhol have been the most formative of my life, and I’m so grateful for having been given this opportunity.”
He plans to move to Spain, where his husband is from. However, Moore will remain on the job through the museum’s 30th anniversary gala and the opening of another exhibited he curated, “KAWS + Warhol.”
His final day will be May 31.
After Moore’s departure, Rachel Baron-Horn, the Warhol's deputy director, will serve as interim director while the Carnegie Museums conducts an international search for a new director.
