Alex Farquharson will become Director of Tate Britain in the Autumn.

Exeter alumnus appointed as Director of Tate Britain

Alex Farquharson graduated from Exeter in 1991 with a degree in English and Fine Art and went on to complete a Masters in Arts Criticism at City University, London. He returned to Exeter in 1994 to work at Spacex, where he was Curator, then Exhibitions Director, until 1999. He has since firmly established himself as a prominent curator of international art, and has worked with a range of British and UK-based artists on solo exhibitions over the last twenty years. 

Notable achievements include co-curating the British Art Show 6 and being on the selection committees for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2009 (Steve McQueen), the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize in 2011 and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation: Awards for Artists, in 2012. Alex was also the founding Director of Nottingham Contemporary, which became one of the leading visual arts institutions in the UK and under his leadership attracted over 1 million visitors in its first five years.

Alex said, “I am delighted to be joining Tate as Director of Tate Britain. As the home of 500 years of British art, Tate Britain has a unique and fascinating position in the cultural life of the nation. I look forward to working with a highly skilled and experienced team of curators to share these histories with audiences of all kinds.”

Alex is also an independent writer and critic, contributing to arts publications including Frieze, Artforum and Art Monthly. His own publications include Isa Genzken (Phaidon) and Richard Wright (Dundee Contemporary Arts). He will take up the appointment of Director, Tate Britain in late autumn 2015.

Date: 10 August 2015

Read more University News