FORT WORTH, TX.- The Amon Carter Museum of American Art announces the appointment of Brett Abbott as Director of Collections and Exhibitions. Abbott, a specialist in American photography of the 20th and 21st centuries, comes to the Amon Carter from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta where he served as Keough Family Curator of Photography and Head of Collections since 2011.

“I’m honored to be joining the talented team at the Amon Carter, and excited to begin working with the museum’s superb collection and exhibitions program,” says Abbott. “The institution is a tremendous resource for its community and has demonstrated a strong history of excellence in everything it pursues; I look forward to participating in the continuation of that direction in the years ahead.”

Abbott will provide leadership and vision for four pivotal Amon Carter departments, including Curatorial, Conservation, Exhibition Design and Preparations Services, and Registration. He will join the staff at the Amon Carter in late October.

“In this new role, Brett will bolster the museum’s devotion to the acquisition and preservation of American art, and the installation of exhibitions that inspire and challenge our diverse audience,” says Andrew Walker, director. “We are delighted to welcome him to Fort Worth and the Amon Carter.”

In his more than five years at the High, Abbott has grown the photography collection by 2,000 prints, stewarded more than 20 installations, and overseen the development of the museum’s collection acquisitions, care and access programs. His honors include the 2012 Ansel Adams Fellowship from the Center for Creative Photography for his research on Wynn Bullock, the 2010 Lucie Award for Curator of the Year for the landmark exhibition Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography since the Sixties and the 2007 Lucie Award for Curator of the Year for his work on Edward Weston. Abbott served as associate curator at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for nine years in the department of photographs prior to joining the High. He is a graduate of the Getty Leadership Institute’s Executive Education Program for Museum Leaders and also served as a curatorial intern at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Abbott earned his Master of Arts from Williams College and Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University, both in Art History.