The Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (Mambo) is facing a leadership crisis. The Colombian museum now needs to fill two key positions following the resignation of its director, Martha Ortiz, who left amid accusations of harassment and creating a toxic environment for her colleagues. Ortiz’s departure earlier this month comes on the heels of the dismissal of Mambo’s artistic director, Eugenio Viola, in February.
In a statement, the museum’s board announced Ortiz’s departure by saying it would begin the search for a new director “with the utmost rigour that this process deserves”. Ortiz had assumed the position in March 2024, having come from a background in journalism and media management, with no prior experience in museum leadership.
For now Mambo board’s chair, Ángela Royo, will oversee the institution’s strategic decisions while Francy Hernández, the financial and administrative manager, will handle administrative processes.
Mambo’s leadership crisis began earlier this year, when the museum unexpectedly dismissed Viola from the role he had served in for seven years. The decision was announced on social media, with the museum's leaders citing a “comprehensive review”; comments were disabled on all posts, blocking any possibility of public response.
Weeks later, an open letter addressed to the board and signed by more than 140 artists, curators, critics, museum directors and cultural figures—including David Manzur, Óscar Muñoz, Miler Lagos and Delcy Morelos—called for “public, clear and well-reasoned” explanations regarding Viola’s departure. The letter noted: “Communicating without explaining and closing off spaces for dialogue amounts to exercising an authoritarian stance that erodes trust and undermines the museum’s legitimacy in the eyes of its community.”
With Ortiz still serving as director, the museum issued a new statement on its website, which began: “Mambo maintains open and transparent communication with all its stakeholders.” The text included an acknowledgement of Viola’s departure, noting that his exit had followed “a process of sustained discussions” with the board regarding the operational structure and resources of the curatorial department. As no agreement had been reached, his contract was terminated. The statement also noted that the exhibition schedule would proceed as previously planned; the museum opened a solo exhibition by Ana María Rueda that same day titled, poignantly, The Sensitive Chaos (El caos sensible). The statement concluded with an email address for enquiries, but messages sent to that address proved undeliverable.
“The board’s decision to remove Martha Ortiz is a necessary—yet markedly delayed—measure,” Viola tells The Art Newspaper. “Had it been taken in time, it could have prevented much of the institutional erosion observed in recent months. I formally alerted the board as early as the end of September 2025 to deteriorating working conditions and broader structural issues affecting the museum,” concerns he claims were not addressed. He adds that now the institution must appoint a director capable of rebuilding its relationship with the artistic community, “someone who understands that a museum is governed not by imposition but by dialogue, trust and ethical rigour”.
The position of artistic director has not yet been filled, and the search for a new director is now underway, according to museum leaders. Representatives for Mambo did not respond to a request for comment. On the museum’s website, both Ortiz and Viola are still listed as staff.
