Tate director Maria Balshaw to step down next year

Tate has announced that Maria Balshaw, who has served as the institution's director since 2017, will step down next year.

After nine years of leadership, Balshaw will leave Tate in spring 2026. In a statement, she said it "has been an absolute privilege" to "work with such talented colleagues and artists".

"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 a next director who will take the organisation into its next decade of innovation and artistic leadership," she said.

"My greatest thrill has always been to work closely with artists, and so it is fitting that Tracey Emin’s exhibition at Tate Modern will be my final project at Tate.”

During her tenure, Balshaw steered Tate through the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as shifting attendance and financial issues.

This year, for example, Tate cut 7 percent of its workforce in order to address a funding deficit left over from the pandemic.

Balshaw also worked to diversify Tate's collection and engage a wider public, and has overseen the growth of Tate's partnerships around the world.

Additionally, under her leadership, Tate has built the world's largest arts membership.

Director to leave Tate after nine years

Upcoming projects that Balshaw has led include the new Clore Garden at Tate Britain, which opens in 2026, as well as a complete transformation of Tate Liverpool, opening in 2027.

For next year, Balshaw is curating an exhibition celebrating the work of artist Dame Tracey Emin at Tate Modern.

One of Balshaw's most important projects, according to a press release, was the establishment of an endowment fund for Tate’s long-term financial security, working with Tate’s chair Roland Rudd.

Launched earlier this year, the fund has secured more than £50 million of donations to date.

"Maria has been a trailblazer at Tate. She has never wavered from her core belief – that more people deserve to experience the full richness of art, and more artists deserve to be part of that story," said Rudd.

"As the home of British art and of international modern and contemporary art, Tate today reflects the audiences we serve and the artists who make up our nation," he added.

"We engage a wider public than ever before through our own galleries, our digital channels, and our projects in other venues across the UK and the world.

"Maria has my heartfelt thanks for those achievements and for all her work over the past decade."

Images courtesy of Tate