As for Mr. Anwar, Sunday's election defeat could be the end of the road for the one-time student radical who was recruited by Dr. Mahathir and served in a series of governments in the 1980s and 1990s, reaching the post of deputy prime minister and heir apparent to Dr. Mahathir.

WSJ: Malaysian Prime Minister Wins Election

To lead the museum, Mr. Rush arrived most recently from a similar post at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University in Boston, where he served during a controversial attempt by Brandeis to sell the collection and close the museum.

WSJ: A Mini Bilbao Opens in Michigan