Thomas N. Armstrong III

Thomas Newton Armstrong III (July 30, 1932 – June 20, 2011), was an American museum curator. A graduate of Cornell University and the New York University Institute of Fine Arts, he began his career in Colonial Williamsburg as curator of the folk art collection at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum from 1967 to 1971. He served as director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1971–1973), the Whitney Museum of American Art (1974–1990) and the Andy Warhol Museum (1993–1995). He is best known for significantly expanding the size of the collection at the Whitney Museum.

Early life and career The son of Thomas Newton Armstrong, Jr., Thomas Newton Armstrong III was born on July 30, 1932, in Portsmouth, Virginia. He grew up in Summit, New Jersey. He graduated from Cornell University in 1954 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and sculpture, and was his class's valedictorian. After college he served in the 25th Infantry Division of the United States Army in Hawaii;

By 1969 Armstrong had graduated from the NYUIFA with a master's degree having completed his degree while working for the AARFAM. He moved to Virginia in 1969. and as steward of the Collector's Circle at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (appointed in 1970). He remained at his position at the AARFAM until October 1971 when he assumed the post of director of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. His tenure was marked by the creation of an ambitious renovation plan of PAFA's facilities (not realized during his tenure), multiple successful fund raisers, and several innovative exhibitions which improved PAFA's national reputation. His renovation plan for the Historic Landmark Building at PAFA was successfully completed in 1976 after he left the institution, and he is credited as playing a pivotal role in the success of this project. The positive press and achievements he had made at PAFA had a significant impact on his appointment to the WMAA. In his first year as director of WMAA he befriended Andy Warhol when the artist crashed his 1974 Christmas party. Art journalist Suzanne Muchnic stated the following about his WMAA tenure, "Armstrong transformed the museum from a rather dowdy repository of rather unfashionable old art to what is perceived as a flashy showcase for young hot shots. But he has long been criticized for hiring young, inexperienced curators who have been said to have neglected the museum's permanent collection of early 20-century art in favor of frivolous contemporary exhibitions."

In the 1980s Armstrong led an ultimately fruitless campaign to add an addition onto the WMAA building designed by architect Michael Graves. The museum was in desperate need of more space in order to implement programs being demanded by the WMAA board, and Armstrong's expansion plan was designed with that in mind.

Andy Warhol Museum After leaving WMMA he worked as an advisor to the National Gallery Prague. In April 1993 Armstrong moved to Pittsburgh where he lived with his with in the Park Mansions apartments near Carnegie Mellon University. It was later revealed that he had conflicts with Ellsworth Brown who led the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, and that the two men did not share the same vision for the AWM. His decision to resign was heavily influenced by his discord with Brown. A lifelong gardener, He also served on the advisory committees of the Mount Vernon estate and Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, and was a trustee of the New York School of Interior Design.