Tucker, Marcia, 1940-2006

American curator, art critic and museum director (1940-2006) received her Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College in 1961. She then went on to earn a Masters of Art from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts in 1965.

Starting out as an artist, she wrote reviews for art magazines, and cataloged and curated the private collections of Alfred and Margo Barr, and of William and Noma Copley. Finding she preferred the role of art interpreter and presenter, she accepted a position curator of Painting and Sculpture at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1969, where she soon distinguished herself as an innovator and advocate for the underrepresented American artists residing outside New York City, as well as for women artists, African American artists, folk artists, and other sorts of "outsiders." insisting that the criteria for exhibiting contemporary art should never be those of the connoisseur, and Influenced by the political ferment of the times, Tucker selected work that challenged, disturbed, and resisted interpretation. For this she was roundly criticized but not deterred from what she later called "a career built on bad reviews." An early exhibit that she co-curated with James Monte, "Anti-Illusion: Procedures/Materials," was one of the first major exhibitions dedicated to Process Art or Post Minimalism. Frequently traveling around the country and especially to California for studio visits, she developed friendships with artists whose work she exhibited, such as Terry Allen, John Baldessari, and Bruce Nauman.

1977, she left the Whitney Museum to take on the role of founding director at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the first museum of contemporary art in New York. Working on a shoestring budget and with a small staff of like-minded individuals, Tucker experimented with presenting exhibitions that openly flaunted traditional art historical standards, such as Bad Painting (1978). At the same time, the museum was to be run as differently as possible from the hierarchical Whitney: all decisions were made collectively and by consensus. The challenges of maintaining this approach as the institution grew in size and budget made the New Museum, among other things, a laboratory for institutional innovation. The Museum soon acquired powerful supporters in Henry Luce III and Vera List, who helped to guide the institution toward greater financial stability. At the time, the New Museum was one of the few experimental centers for contemporary and emerging artists working in graphic arts, video, and film, serving as a venue for artists outside the mainstream, gay artists, and members of radical Hispanic and feminist groups. During her tenure at the New Museum, Tucker directed a number of major exhibitions, such as "Bad Girls," 1994; "A Labor of Love," 1996; "The Times of Our Lives," 1999, among others.

Marcia Tucker's interests extended to writing and teaching. She was the series editor for the New Museum's Documentary Sources in Contemporary Art. Tucker was also a freelance art critic; her criticism appeared in such publications as Art in America, Artforum, and ArtNews . Tucker also taught and lectured at academic institutions and art schools, including the School of Visual Arts, Bard Center for Curatorial Studies, Cornell University, and Colgate University.

In 1999, Marcia Tucker left her post as Director of the New Museum, though she continued to be engaged in the contemporary art scene. In recognition of her innovative practices as a curator, Tucker received a number of awards, including the Skowhegan Governors Award for Lifetime Services to the Arts, 1988; Bard College Award for Curatorial Achievement and the Art Table Award for Distinguished Service to the Visual Arts, 2000. She was also the recipient of three Yaddo fellowships from 2003-2005.

In 2006, Tucker died in Santa Barbara, California. She is survived by her husband, Dean McNeill, an artist and their daughter, Ruby Tucker.

Sources: The guide to the Marcia Tucker papers, 1973-1994, (Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution)

The guide to the Marcia Tucker papers, 1918-2006 (bulk 1957-2005), Bulk, 1957-2005, (The Getty Research Institute)