Nicholas Serota appointed new Chair of Arts Council England
Melanie May | 12 September 2016 | News
Sir Nicholas Serota has been appointed by the Culture Secretary as the new Chair of Arts Council England.
Serota will hold the position for a term of four years, commencing on 1st February 2017, and takes over from Sir Peter Bazalgette.
Currently Director of Tate, a position he has held since 1988, Serota has overseen the opening of Tate St Ives in 1993, and the Tate Modern in 2000, as well as the redefining of the Millbank building as Tate Britain, again in 2000.
Tate has also broadened its field of interest in this time to include twentieth-century photography, film, performance and occasionally architecture, as well as collecting from Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Since 2010, the national role of the Gallery has been further developed with the creation of the Plus Tate network of 35 institutions across the UK and Northern Ireland.
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:
“Nicholas Serota has transformed the Tate during his time there, making it one of the leading art institutions in the world, and I am delighted he is taking up the position as Chair of Arts Council England.
He brings unparallelled experience, creativity and wisdom and will continue to be an enthusiastic champion of the arts in his new role. I would like to thank Sir Peter Bazalgette for his fantastic energy and hard work in the role as he passes the baton to Nicholas.”
Serota said:
Advertisement
“I am delighted to have been appointed to succeed Sir Peter Bazalgette as Chair of the Arts Council from 1st February 2017. This is an enormous honour, given the seventy year history of the Council, its success in recent years and the crucial role that it plays in promoting art and culture in this country.”
Photo credit: Hugo Glendinning, 2016
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.