Tate director Nicholas Serota steps down to head Arts Council England

Nicholas Serota has stepped down as director at Tate, a role he has held for 28 years, to become chairman of Arts Council England.

During his time as director at Tate he opened the Tate Modern in 2000, and then its extension in June this year, and redefined the original gallery at Millbank as Tate Britain. He led the creation of Tate St Ives and developed Tate Liverpool as a leading part of the city’s role as European City of Culture in 2008. He also curated some of the Tate’s most popular exhibitions including Donald Judd and Henri Matiisse: The Cut-Outs.

In a statement Nicholas said that in the past 30 years “there has been a sea-change in public appreciation of the visual arts in this country,” with Tate playing a huge part in this alongside other new national and regional museums and galleries. Tate’s chairman Lord Browne said in a statement that Nicholas is “one of the world’s greatest museum directors and a leader for the visual arts on a global stage”.

Tate will begin its search for a new director, guided by a committee of trustees, advisers and artists. Nicholas will take up his new role in February 2017.