Ann Marguerite Tartsinis has been named the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s new Jack M. and Annette Y. Friedland Curator and Head of Costume and Textiles, taking the reins of one of the most significant costume and textile collections in the United States — a program spanning cultures, geographies, and historical periods, from historic dress to contemporary fiber art. She begins September 21, 2026.

Stepping Into a 40-Year Legacy

Ann Marguerite Tartsinis arrives at a genuinely emotional moment for the department. Her predecessor, Dilys E. Blum, led Costume and Textiles for nearly four decades after joining the museum in 1987, retiring in June 2025 before passing away that December. Under Blum, the collection grew to include Renaissance velvets, contemporary fashion, Bengali kantha quilts, Asian textiles, and African American quiltmaking, and she was widely regarded as the world’s leading authority on designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

She curated more than forty exhibitions over her career, including Best Dressed: 250 Years of Style, Shocking!: The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli, and, most recently, Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s in 2025. “Dilys Blum leaves a remarkable legacy,” said Daniel Weiss, the museum’s George D. Widener Director and CEO, following her passing. “She transformed this museum’s Costume and Textiles department into a program respected around the world.”

Who Ann Marguerite Tartsinis Is

Tartsinis currently serves as Assistant Curator of Architecture & Design at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where she is leading a major exhibition set to open in spring 2027. She previously held a curatorial post at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery, working on exhibitions spanning American textile history to Andean weaving traditions, and co-authored the recent book Mondrian’s Dress: Yves Saint Laurent, Piet Mondrian, and Pop Art. She’s currently completing a PhD in Art History at Stanford University and holds an MA in Design History from the Bard Graduate Center. Her writing has ranged across modern craft, Indigenous textiles, fashion photography, and bohemian dress, reflecting a genuinely wide-angle curatorial lens beyond any single era or medium.

“Ann is an exceptional curator whose scholarship, vision, and leadership will bring new energy to one of the museum’s most important collections,” said Weiss. Ann Marguerite Tartsinis herself was candid about the weight of the moment: “I step into a role that was shaped through the pioneering work of former Senior Curator Dilys Blum, whose 40-year career transformed the collection and the field. I am deeply honored to advance her legacy of intellectual integrity and curatorial excellence, while guiding the department into its next phase.”

Ann Marguerite Tartsinis was selected from an international pool of applicants through a search led by Judith Pineiro Consulting, and joins the curatorial division overseen by Jessica Smith, the Pappas-Sarbanes Chief Curator — arriving at the PMA in the same season as fellow new leadership hire Jennifer Thompson. “I look forward to partnering with colleagues across the museum and engaging with communities throughout Philadelphia,” she said, “to uncover new perspectives on the collection and ensure that these remarkable objects continue to inspire curiosity, creativity, and critical inquiry.”

About Post Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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