Philippe Vergne to leave Serralves Museum in July 2026

Philippe Vergne to leave Serralves Museum

The Board of Directors of the Serralves Foundation announced on Monday that Philippe Vergne, director of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art since 2019, will end his term of office “at his own request” at the end of July 2026. The director cited “personal reasons”.

The Serralves Foundation in Porto said that Vergne will step down at the end of July 2026, bringing to a close a seven-year period leading one of Portugal’s most significant cultural institutions.

According to the Board’s statement, “Philippe Vergne will end his term of office, at his own request, at the end of July 2026”. The decision was made by the director himself. During the transition, he will remain involved in the programme, ensuring “his valuable contribution to the curation of several exhibitions” in an effort to maintain continuity and stability.

The Foundation also highlighted the impact of Vergne’s leadership, saying that he “brought artists and exhibitions of great importance to Serralves”, helping to place the museum “on an even higher international level”. This recognition comes as the 2027 programme has already been presented to the Board, indicating that a strategy has been set out for the near future.

Despite the unexpected departure, the Porto institution expressed “its deep appreciation” for Vergne’s work and wished him “every success in his future roles”.

Selection process for the new Serralves Museum director

At the same time, the administration said that the “selection process for the museum’s new director will be launched immediately”, paving the way for a new phase in Serralves’ artistic leadership.

The change represents a turning point for the institution, which has strengthened its international profile in recent years and reinforced its position as a benchmark in the contemporary art landscape.

Serralves among the world’s 100 most visited museums

Serralves is the only Portuguese museum included in the ranking of the world’s 100 most visited art museums. In the overall 2026 ranking, it stands in 84th place, having welcomed around 902,000 visitors in one year.