Kirk Varnedoe Visiting Professor

The Kirk Varnedoe Visiting Professorship brings a distinguished scholar to the Institute each year to teach a course and give a series of public lectures in the area of modern and contemporary art. The Professorship was endowed in 2006 by the late Professor Varnedoe's friends and colleagues to honor and perpetuate his legacy of innovative teaching and remarkable public presence. Past holders of this position include Mary McLeod (2025), Esther da Costa Meyer (2024), Juan José Lahuerta (2023), Anna Indych-López (2022), Chika Okeke-Agulu (2020), Nina M. Athanassoglou-Kallmyer (2019),Lowery Stokes Sims (2018), Jacqueline Lichtenstein (2016), S. Hollis Clayson (2015), Briony Fer (2014), Thierry de Duve (2013), Okwui Enwezor (2012), Wu Hung (2011), David Joselit (2010), Alexander Potts (2009), Molly Nesbit (2008), and Jeffrey Weiss (2007).

Watch the public lectures of previous Kirk Varnedoe visiting professors.

Spring 2026 | Patrick Flores

The Institute of Fine Arts is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Flores, Chief Curator of the National Gallery Singapore, as the Kirk Varnedoe Visiting Professor for the Spring 2026 semester. Dr. Flores brings exceptional expertise in Southeast Asian contemporary art and global curatorial practice to this distinguished visiting professorship, named in honor of the late Kirk Varnedoe, respected art historian and IFA faculty member and former Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture at The Museum of Modern Art.

Flores joined the National Gallery Singapore in 2022 and became Chief Curator in 2024. During his time there, he has been instrumental in establishing the institution as a leading voice in Southeast Asian art scholarship and exhibition practice. Under his curatorial leadership, the Gallery has presented innovative exhibitions that have redefined narratives around modernism and contemporary art in the region. Flores served as Curator of the Taiwan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2022, Artistic Director of the Singapore Biennale 2019, and Curator of the Philippine Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2015.

Dr. Flores is also Professor of Art Studies at the University of the Philippines, where he is the Director of the Philippine Contemporary Art Network. He is widely recognized for his scholarly contributions to art history, with particular focus on the intersections between art, politics, and cultural identity in Southeast Asia.

Flores was a Guest Scholar at the Getty Research Institute during the 2013-2014 academic year under the theme “Connecting Seas: Cultural and Artistic Exchange.” His extensive publications and curatorial projects have advanced critical discourse on decolonizing museum practices and expanding art historical canons beyond Western-centric frameworks.

While in residence at the Institute of Fine Arts, Dr. Flores will teach the graduate seminar “Southeast Asia: A Curatorial History” and deliver a public lecture, offering students and faculty unique insights into contemporary curatorial practice and the histories of modern and contemporary art in Southeast Asia. His appointment continues the Kirk Varnedoe Visiting Professorship's tradition of bringing leading international voices to NYU's distinguished graduate program in art history.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Flores to the IFA," said Joan Kee, Judy and Michael Steinhardt Director of The Institute of Fine Arts. "A towering figure in the field of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art, Patrick will bring field-defining expertise on one of the world's most vital regions to our community."

The Kirk Varnedoe Visiting Professorship was established to honor the legacy of the influential art historian and curator, bringing distinguished scholars and practitioners to share their expertise with the next generation of art historians and museum professionals.

Dr. Flores will begin his appointment in January 2026. Additional details about his seminar are available on The Institute of Arts’s Spring 2026 course listings online. He will give a public lecture at the IFA on Thursday, March 12, at 6:00pm.