Mr. Lowry's major initiatives include guiding the building of MoMA's new museum, and directing the $858 million capital campaign that has funded the building project and enlarged the endowment. Launched in November 1998, the campaign has raised $725 million as of November 2004.

A strong advocate of contemporary art, Mr. Lowry, along with Alanna Heiss, director of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, conceived and initiated the merger of their two organizations, which was announced in February 1999. He has lectured and written extensively in support of contemporary art and artists and the role of museums in society, among other topics.

Mr. Lowry is a board member of the Comité International de L'ICOM pour les Musées et les Collections d'Art Moderne (CIMAM). He is a member of the Smithsonian Council, and also serves on the advisory council of the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University .

Born in 1954 in New York City and raised in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Mr. Lowry received a B.A. degree (1976) magna cum laude from Williams College, Williamstown, and M.A. (1978) and Ph.D. (1982) degrees in history of art from Harvard University. He is married to the former Susan Chambers, and they have three children.