The J. Paul Getty Museum announced today that Carolyn Marsden-Smith, currently head of exhibitions at the British Museum, has been appointed the new associate director for exhibitions. She will succeed Quincy Houghton, who left to join the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marsden-Smith will take up the position in January 2017.

Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, said that Marsden-Smith “has both the breadth of experience and the attention to detail necessary to oversee a complex and dynamic program.” He added, “Her more than sixteen years of experience and success at the British Museum are the ideal platform on which to continue to strengthen the Getty’s exhibition program in the years ahead.”

During her tenure at the British Museum, Marsden-Smith led the temporary conversion of the institution’s Round Reading Room to an exhibitions space, collaborated with external partners on programming for the London Cultural Olympiad, and managed the exhibition program, which included “Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia” (2005), “First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army” (2007), and “Celts: Art and Identity” (2015).