Philadelphia Art Museum chief Sasha Suda was ousted after investigation by law firm, sources say
While the substance of the investigation is unknown, Suda's lawyer has called it a "sham investigation" used as a pretext for her "unlawful termination."
The Philadelphia Art Museum dismissed director and CEO Sasha Suda for cause after commissioning an independent investigation, according to Art Museum leaders. The investigation was conducted by an outside law firm, which made the recommendation that Suda’s employment be terminated.
Mark E. Rubenstein, a member of the board’s executive committee, confirmed the investigation, and while he would not identify the substance of the law firm’s investigation, he characterized its subject as serious.
“A board of this stature doesn’t part ways with someone unless it’s a serious matter,” he said.
One aspect of the investigation focused on an increase to Suda’s salary, according to a source close to Suda who spoke to The Inquirer on the condition of not being named. However, according to this source, the increase — about $39,000 over two years — was an “authorized” and “budgeted” cost-of-living increase that was “fully approved” and “disclosed.”
Suda’s lawyer, Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, said on Saturday that “a small cabal of trustees commissioned a sham investigation to create a pretext for Ms. Suda’s unlawful termination. We look forward to presenting the truth.”
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The Art Museum said Saturday it did not have any comment on the circumstances of Suda’s dismissal, which came earlier last week.
“The top priority for the board of trustees is to continue supporting the incredible work of the Art Museum staff as we prepare for the year ahead and our 2026 programming. As this is an internal matter, we will not be providing further comment at this time,” read a statement from a spokesperson.
Suda had been offered the option of resigning, but declined, said the source close to Suda.
Suda, 45, was abruptly fired from the museum Tuesday three years into her five-year contract. The museum publicly addressed her tenure that afternoon in a single-sentence statement: “As of today, director and CEO Sasha Suda is no longer with the Philadelphia Art Museum.”
The move to end her employment was made by the museum’s executive committee, a subset of the board of trustees that includes committee heads as well as board chair Ellen T. Caplan. The full board learned about the termination later Tuesday morning at an emergency meeting of the trustees.
Suda came to the museum in 2022 after heading the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa for three years. The Philadelphia museum has been operating at a deficit during her tenure, and visitorship has not reached pre-pandemic numbers. In 2023, she earned a salary of $728,945 plus $30,306 in other compensation, according to the museum’s tax return.
Her removal came a month after the rollout of a renaming and rebrand of the museum that has drawn negative reaction on social media and in several publications, but the rebrand was not the reason for her termination, said one source, speaking on the condition of not being named.
Still, the way the rebrand happened — without the final approval of the board — has roiled the Art Museum board, leaving members divided over the question of how much authority the paid chief has to act on certain matters without board approval.
“This is a board that doesn’t want to be told. They want to be asked,” said one of the trustees who confirmed the investigation. Another trustee, also speaking on the condition of not being named, said that the CEO should have the freedom to act on matters such as the rebrand without official sign-off from the board.
The rebrand changed the public-facing name of the museum from Philadelphia Museum of Art to Philadelphia Art Museum, or PhAM for short; created a logo with a stylized griffin inspired by figures atop the Art Museum’s main building; and deploys a new system of typography and irreverent taglines.
The cost of the rebrand’s “discovery, strategy, and visual labs” came to $250,000, plus additional costs for “way-finding and paid media,” according to museum spokesperson Laura Coogan, who declined to specify the full expense of the project.
Two museum sources familiar with details of the campaign, both speaking on the condition of not being named, put the total cost well above $1 million.
In the wake of Suda’s departure, the museum has installed its deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, Louis Marchesano, to handle day-to-day operations. Internal discussions now center on the question of whether to hand-pick an interim director quickly, or take a longer period to sort out next steps and identify an interim leader.
Rubenstein said the museum was already beginning the process of rebuilding and moving on.
“There are a lot of people on the board, significant people with significant experience, who are working to right the ship,” he said.