SAN FRANCISCO—The Board of Trustees of the Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco today announced the appointment of Richard Benefield as Chief Operating Officer. This appointment follows the departure of Director Colin B. Bailey, who is returning to New York to assume the position of director at the Morgan Library and Museum. Mr. Benefield has been deputy director of the Museums since May 2012, and led the institution during the interim period before the hiring of Bailey.

“Colin has made great contributions to our museums, particularly in enhancing and revitalizing our permanent collections,” said Board of Trustees President Diane B. Wilsey. “We are grateful for his leadership and wish him well in this next chapter of his long and distinguished career in the arts.”

Wilsey added: “We know the Museums will be in good hands under the direction of Richard, the Board of Trustees and senior staff at the institution.”

“I will always have the fondest memories of my time here in San Francisco—to direct these museums has been an extraordinary privilege,” said Colin B. Bailey. “Leading the Morgan Library and Museum is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m excited to return to my professional roots in New York.”

During his time at the Fine Arts Museums, Bailey increased the number of fellowships for curators and conservators as well as reinstalling several of the permanent galleries at both the de Young and Legion of Honor. The Museums also acquired several significant gifts and works during his tenure.

Bailey joined the Fine Arts Museums in June 2013 from The Frick Collection in New York where he served as deputy director and chief curator. He also previously held curatorial appointments at the National Gallery of Canada, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty.

Benefield has organized successful exhibitions, including David Hockney: A Bigger Exhibition, which saw nearly 240,000 visitors, and is the organizer of an upcoming retrospective of the designer Oscar de la Renta, which will debut at the de Young in February 2016.

According to the April 2015 issue of The Art Newspaper, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are ranked fifth in attendance among U.S. art museums.

About the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in San Francisco.

The de Young is housed in a copper-clad landmark building designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron. It showcases the institution’s significant collections of American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts from the 17th to the 21st centuries; art from Oceania, Africa, and the Americas; a diverse collection of costumes and textiles; and international contemporary art.

The Legion of Honor’s Beaux-Arts style building designed by George Applegarth is located on a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Its collections span 4,000 years and include European paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts; ancient art from the Mediterranean basin; and the largest collection of works on paper in the American West.

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