At the end of the 1930s, Philadelphia’s largest art museum changed its name from the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. That name remained in place until October 8, 2025, when it was changed once again to the Philadelphia Art Museum. While the adjustment seemed minor, it soon sparked a wave of broader controversy surrounding leadership, branding, and the future direction of the historic museum overlooking the Schuylkill River.
The controversy began with the release of the Art Museum’s new strategic plan for 2026. Leadership expressed a desire to increase attendance to “an average of one million visitors annually,” up from the roughly 700,000 attendants in 2024. They proposed expanding hours and increasing the “pay-as-you-wish” program, which is already a mainstay at other large American museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Controversy was found in the artistic changes proposed by the plan, including a brand new, stark black and white logo depicting a griffin in a bold yet minimalist style. Opinions differed on the logo. Some felt it didn’t represent the new museum well, comparing it to soccer team logos or coffee shop signs. Others believed it was well-suited for the museum.
Ms. Sarah Colby, an art teacher at Haverford High School, said she supported the redesign. “I actually like the new logo,” Colby said. “It’s more bold, and grabs my attention. The old logo didn’t stand out and did not have as much personality without the Phoenix complementing the museum’s architecture.”
The redesign was more broadly criticized because it was designed by a firm in Brooklyn. Many felt an artist based in Philadelphia should have been commissioned for the logo instead. Colby pointed out how easy it might have been to commission a Philadelphian artist, as “Philadelphia has such a close-knit community of artists.” Others raised concerns about the estimated $700 million rebranding and advertising push, questioning whether the funds could have been better spent on improving the museum’s affordability or accessibility.
What originally seemed like a small debate over a redesign became significantly more attention-worthy when, just a few days later, the CEO and director of the Philadelphia Art Museum, Saha Suda, was fired. Many speculated that her firing was due to the fact that she did not confirm the redesign with the board of directors before giving it official approval.
On November 10, Sasha Suda filed a lawsuit against the museum, alleging that she was “recruited to transform a struggling museum, but was later terminated when her efforts to modernize the museum clashed with a small, corrupt, and unethical faction of the Board intent on preserving the status quo.”
Suda, a Canadian citizen, also criticized the museum for refusing her immediate severance pay, which, due to her green card status, would give Suda 60 days to leave the country where she resides with her family and where her children attend elementary school.
The museum responded with a countersuit accusing Suda of theft. The suit alleges that Suda, who was being paid an annual salary of $720,000, authorized three pay increases for herself, amounting to multiple tens of thousands of dollars, without the approval of the board.
The new director of the museum is David Weiss, the former director of the Met and former president of Haverford College. Weiss, who will only serve as president until 2028, must grapple with a museum with struggling attendance, a volatile board of directors, and a new legal battle with Suda. Whether Weiss can bring the museum back from scandal is yet to be seen.
