Maxwell Anderson is stepping down as director and CEO of the Indianapolis Museum of Art to lead the Dallas Museum of Art.

The IMA late Thursday afternoon announced Anderson, 55, will be leaving Dec. 31. Anderson, former director of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, has led the IMA for 5-1/2 years.

“Max has been a champion of the museum’s mission while overseeing tremendous growth and change, including the enhancement of the museum’s collection,” Stephen Russell, chairman of IMA’s board of governors, said in prepared statement.

“Though we will miss Max’s leadership, we are confident that the IMA staff will maintain our high standards of innovation and creativity while we identify and secure our next director,” said Russell, who also is chairman of Celadon Group Inc., an Indianapolis trucking company.

Achievements during Anderson’s tenure included last year’s opening of 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, as well as the acquisition of Miller House and Garden, the iconic Eero Saarinen’s home in Columbus.

Anderson also had to grapple with fiscal challenges. The museum's main source of income, a $315 million endowment, suffered heavy losses in late 2008 and 2009, which precipitated more than $7 million in budget cuts.
 
Indianapolis venture capitalist Tom Hiatt, secretary of the IMA board of governors, will chair the committee that will conduct the national search for Anderson’s successor.