Former National Gallery boss sues over dismissal from Philadelphia Art Museum

The Canadian art CEO who left a top post at the National Gallery of Canada to lead the Philadelphia Art Museum is now suing the U.S. institution over her dismissal.

Sasha Suda’s tenure came to an abrupt end when the museum released a terse statement announcing she was no longer director and CEO as of Nov. 4.

She had left the National Gallery for a five-year contract with the museum in 2022, on a stated mission to bring greater diversity and community engagement.

A suit filed Monday in a Pennsylvania court paints a portrait of infighting and dysfunction, alleging Suda was targeted by “a small, corrupt, and unethical faction of the board intent on preserving the status quo.”

The suit claims Suda was terminated without grounds for “cause,” despite exceeding “every measurable objective” including fundraising, community, labour and programming goals.

The museum’s press office said in an emailed statement that the complaint “is without merit” and that it would not comment further.

The suit says Suda was falsely accused of misconduct and dishonesty over “pre-cleared” expenses and a “proper” cost-of-living increase that was “consistent with standard practice.”

The allegations have not been tested in court.

The lawsuit, which names the Philadelphia Museum of Art as the defendant, is seeking assorted damages that it asks to be determined by a jury trial.

The museum is now known as the Philadelphia Art Museum, following a controversial rebranding under Suda’s watch that changed the name and acronym to PhAM, which was quickly seized upon by online critics who redubbed it PhART.

Suda’s lawyer Luke Nikas said in an emailed statement that his Orillia, Ont.-born client was proud of her work and looked forward “to presenting the truth.”

“Ms. Suda fought for and believed in a museum that would serve Philadelphia and its people, not the egos of a handful of trustees,” said Nikas, with the New York firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP.

Before joining the National Gallery in 2019 as director and CEO, Suda was curator of European art and the Elliott Chair of Prints & Drawings at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The lawsuit also said Suda’s dismissal jeopardized efforts to secure a green card that would let her remain in the United States, where her family now lives and where her children attend elementary school.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2025.