Maria Balshaw to step down as director of Tate after nine years

"She said: With a growing and increasingly diverse audience, and with a brilliant forward plan in place, I feel now is the right time to pass on the baton to the next director. My greatest thrill has always been to work closely with artists, and so it is fitting that Tracey Emin's exhibition will be my final project at Tate."

"had the unenviable task of taking over from Nicholas Serota, the long-serving director, who established Tate Modern 25 years ago and is currently chair of Arts Council England. She oversaw several successful projects, including Steve McQueen's Year 3 when the artist took a collective school portrait of 76,000 seven and eight-year-olds from across London. Group shows, including Women in Revolt and Life Between Islands highlighted previously marginalised artists, something Balshaw was proud of, while there were major shows for Leigh Bowery and Emily Kam Kngwarray."

Maria Balshaw will step down as Tate director in 2026 after a nine-year tenure that included steering the organisation through the Covid-19 pandemic and coping with fluctuating attendance and financial instability. She joined in June 2017 from the Whitworth in Manchester and succeeded long-serving director Nicholas Serota. Balshaw oversaw high-profile projects such as Steve McQueen's Year 3 and curated group shows that highlighted previously marginalised artists, alongside major exhibitions for Leigh Bowery and Emily Kam Kngwarray. She criticised arts sponsorships from fossil fuel companies and noted public dismay over such deals. Tracey Emin's exhibition will be her final project at Tate.

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