The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has named Peggy Fogelman, a nationally experienced museum professional, its new director.

“I’ve loved this museum for a very long time” said Fogelman, who first visited while in college. “I can’t imagine anywhere else I'd rather be, actually.”

Fogelman will replace Anne Hawley, who has been the museum's director for 26 years, in January.

Fogelman had been director of collections at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York before being named acting director. Previous stops include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

The Gardner was founded in 1903 by its namesake Boston art patron, Isabella Stewart Gardner. More recently, it has opened a new wing in 2012, and weathered the infamous theft of several works, which are still missing, in 1990. A series of FBI announcements in recent years has asked for the public's help in finding the art, proclaimed the bureau knows the identity of the thieves, unveiled a video of a man let into the museum the day before the heist, and declared the thieves dead.

Fogelman said that museum staff have briefed her about the theft and the investigation and that she expects to learn more once she starts the job.

“I actually think that the interest, the ongoing interest from the local and worldwide community, is really a sign of how much people care about the Gardner, and that is a wonderful thing, that's a very inspiring thing,” she said. “And we're very optimistic that the works of art will be returned.”      

“Peggy is the perfect fit for the Gardner with her impressive background ranging from work in large prestigious institutions to small, intimate museums,” said Steve Kidder, the Gardner's board's president, in a statement. “She brings us the best intersection of creativity, vision, and successful execution. We look forward to seeing what she dreams up for this very special Museum.”

“I am overjoyed to be entrusted with leading the Gardner, a unique and treasured museum where visitors feel so closely connected to the collection,” Fogelman said in a statement. “Being located in this creative and intellectual hub makes the potential enormously exciting as we continue to reach the next generation of museum-goers. It is truly a privilege to apply all my experience to a place that is beloved by so many.”

For Hawley's part, she said she's happy the museum will be in "capable hands."

"I trust the magic and uniqueness of the Gardner Museum will continue to soar under Peggy’s leadership,” she said.