For Dr. Alex Rich, President and CEO of the Gibbes Museum of Art, a life devoted to museums began almost as early as memory itself.

Growing up in Manhattan, Rich was immersed in one of the world’s great cultural capitals. Some of his earliest memories involve visiting New York’s renowned museums, including a moment he still recalls vividly, standing before the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That experience sparked a fascination with art that would shape his life’s path.

As a child, Rich was also deeply creative. He began drawing at just two years old, and his parents, along with his grandfather, nurtured that creativity by making museum visits a regular part of childhood. While many kids gravitated toward playgrounds, Rich jokes that he would have chosen a museum as his playground any day.

By the time he was a teenager, that passion had already evolved into a dream. At just 16, Rich was selected for the prestigious high school apprenticeship program at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he spent a summer giving tours to visiting student groups. It was an experience that cemented two lifelong passions: teaching and art history.

Rich continued pursuing those interests at Dartmouth College, where he studied English with a focus on art history. Summers and internships at institutions like the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art further deepened his connection to the museum world. A transformative study-abroad experience in Florence ultimately convinced him to pursue a doctorate in art history at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University.

Along the way, Rich discovered another calling: teaching. After beginning to teach art history at Hunter College in New York, he quickly realized that sharing his passion for art with students felt completely natural. He spent several years teaching before accepting a tenure-track position at Florida Southern College, where he became head of the art history program.

Soon after, an unexpected opportunity brought together all of his professional passions. When the college partnered with the Polk Museum of Art, Rich was asked to serve as curator while continuing his academic role. The position evolved quickly, and by 2019 he was serving as Executive Director and Chief Curator, while also leading the college’s Department of Art History and Museum Studies.

“I was a museum director, a curator, a professor, and an academic department chair all at once,” Rich recalls. “It was exhausting—but it combined everything I loved.”

In December 2025, Rich was recruited to lead the Gibbes Museum of Art, one of Charleston’s most treasured cultural institutions. After an extensive national search, he was selected as President and CEO, a moment he still describes with disbelief and gratitude.

Now in Charleston, Rich is focused on continuing the Gibbes’ nearly 170-year tradition as a cultural hub for the region. Under his leadership, the museum is doubling down on accessibility, education, and world-class exhibitions. Current highlights include a major retrospective of Leo Twiggs, a South Carolina native and nationally celebrated artist, as well as an exhibition of Auguste Rodin bronze sculptures on view through early 2027.

Education remains at the center of Rich’s vision. The museum recently acquired the historic building next door at 141 Meeting Street, allowing the Gibbes to expand by approximately 6,000 square feet. When the new wing opens in 2027, it will include additional gallery space and a dedicated education center designed to serve as a regional hub for arts learning.

For Rich, the goal is simple: to ensure every visitor who walks through the museum’s doors feels inspired.

“I’ve spent my whole life thinking about and loving museums,” he says. “I want the Gibbes to continue soaring into the future as one of the very best.”

Through exhibitions, education, and collaboration across the Charleston arts community, Rich hopes the museum will continue doing what great museums do best—helping people see the world, and each other, in new ways.