Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Elects New Board Members

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has elected Katrin Henkel and Peter H. Kahng to its Board of Trustees. Dedicated to collecting modern and contemporary art and promoting its understanding, the Foundation encompasses an international constellation of four museums: the Guggenheim New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Henkel and Kahng bring wide-ranging expertise in the visual arts, financial stewardship, and the global art community to their roles on the Foundation’s Board. 

Katrin Henkel spent 1985 to 2015 as an esteemed art dealer specializing in old master drawings, initially through her own gallery and later as a partner at P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., London. She has built a remarkable art collection and has extensive experience on international museum boards, including serving as a trustee of the National Gallery, London, and as the museum’s Liaison Trustee to Tate. Henkel is known for her philanthropy and commitment to sharing works from her collection, which are regularly lent to major exhibitions worldwide.    

Peter H. Kahng is General Partner at Arboretum Capital, a family office with locations in New York and Austin.  Kahng applies his financial expertise to the art world by teaching courses on art markets as a lecturer at Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin. Based in New York, he is a collector of contemporary art and has long been involved with the Guggenheim, first as a member of the Young Collectors Council and later as a founding member of the museum’s Asian Art Circle.

Tomilson Hill, Chair, and Wendy Fisher, President, said, “We are thrilled to welcome these two outstanding fellow travelers in the international world of art to the Guggenheim’s Board of Trustees. Their proven dedication to the arts and responsible leadership will help advance the Guggenheim’s mission as we continue expanding our reach and impact both in New York and within the global cultural community.”

Guggenheim Director and CEO Mariët Westermann said, “I am excited to introduce the Guggenheim’s newest trustees, Katrin Henkel and Peter H. Kahng. Their unique expertise in guiding cultural institutions in New York and around the world will strengthen our board as we bring new and diverse perspectives to our distinctly international constellation of museums of modern and contemporary art. By broadening our collective expertise, we are well poised to advance our vision for the Guggenheim’s future.” 

 This announcement follows the December 2024 appointments of two new trustees: Daniel Sallick, founder and Managing Partner of Avoq, a national firm specializing in strategic communications, advertising, and government relations; and Samira Sine, a journalist, philanthropist, and education advocate. Sallick, Sine, Henkel, and Kahng are the first four trustees appointed to the Guggenheim Foundation since Mariët Westermann joined as its leader in June 2024. 

Katrin Henkel 

Katrin Henkel spent her career as an esteemed art dealer specializing in old master drawings. Born and raised in Cologne, she studied business administration in Hamburg before pursuing her interest in the arts through Sotheby’s fine art courses in London. She began her career at Neumeister Fine Art in Munich and, in 1985, established her own gallery, Katrin Bellinger Kunsthandel, dedicated to works on paper.

In 2002, Henkel and Konrad Bernheimer acquired P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., the renowned London dealer in old master paintings and drawings founded in 1760, which they ran together until 2015. During this period, she also served on the Executive Committee of the Society of London Art Dealers and on the board of the Fine Art Fund. Henkel was a trustee of the educational charity IntoUniversity and joined the boards of the Royal Drawing School and Sir John Soane’s Museum. Henkel was appointed a trustee of the National Gallery in 2016, where she served for eight years, including as Liaison Trustee to Tate beginning in 2019.

In addition to her professional career in the arts, Henkel has assembled a private collection with more than 1,800 works, spanning from the Renaissance to the present, with masterpieces by artists such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Georges Seurat, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, as well as significant works by contemporary women artists including Lisa Brice, Chantal Joffe, and Annie Leibovitz.

Peter H. Kahng
Prior to his role as General Partner at Arboretum Capital, Peter H. Kahng worked as an equity analyst at Fred Alger Management, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse. He was also Vice President at Aetos Capital, where he managed hedge fund portfolios for endowment and foundation clients. Kahng holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA in economics with honors from Harvard College. 

Kahng brings deep knowledge of the Guggenheim to his new role, as both a former Young Collectors Council member and founding member of the museum’s Asian Art Circle. He currently serves on the Officers Committee of the Contemporary Arts Council at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Painting and Sculpture Committee at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the North American Acquisitions Committee at Tate; and the National Leadership Board at the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin. Kahng is also a Young Associate Director at the Metropolitan Opera and has been the primary sponsor of the Gold Art Prize, which highlights contemporary artists of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. 

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The international constellation of museums includes the Guggenheim New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. A “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet, the Guggenheim New York is among a group of eight Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the United States designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. To learn more about the Guggenheim New York and the Guggenheim’s activities around the world, visit guggenheim.org