Nottingham Contemporary's Alex Farquharson appointednew Director of Tate Britain

LONDON.- The Tate has announced that Alex Farquharson, Director of Nottingham Contemporary,has been appointed the new Director of Tate Britain.

Alex Farquharson (45) is the founding Director of Nottingham Contemporary. Under Alex�sleadership since 2007, Nottingham Contemporary has become one of the leading visual artsinstitutions in the UK. He launched the gallery in 2009 to public acclaim with an exhibition of DavidHockney�s work from the Sixties. Its programme is known for pairings of solo exhibitions andimaginative group exhibitions, many of which combine historic, modern and contemporary art. In thefirst five years Nottingham Contemporary attracted over 1 million visitors.

Alex is an established curator of British art and before joining Nottingham Contemporary he co-curated the British Art Show 6 (2005-6). Alex co-curated Glenn Ligon: Encounters and Collisionsshown recently at Nottingham Contemporary and currently at Tate Liverpool. British and UK-basedartists he has worked with on solo exhibitions over the last twenty years include Pablo Bronstein,Marc Camille Chaimowicz, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, Jeremy Deller, Gary Hume, Mark Leckey,Richard Long, Gustav Metzger, Bridget Riley and Gillian Wearing.

Alex studied English and Fine Art at the University ofExeter (1988-1991) followed by a Masters in ArtsCriticism at City University, London (1992-1993). Hewas on the selection committee for the British Pavilionat the Venice Biennale in 2009 (Steve McQueen), theDeutsche Börse Photography Prize in 2011, and PaulHamlyn Foundation � Awards for Artists in 2012. He isan independent writer and critic contributing to artspublications including Frieze, Artforum and ArtMonthly. His publications include Isa Genzken (Phaidon) and Richard Wright (Dundee ContemporaryArts). He was a visiting Tutor and Research Fellow, Curating Contemporary Art MA at the RoyalCollege of Art, London (2001-2007). He sits on the Arts Council Collection�s Acquisitions Committeeand the Board of Raven Row.

Alex Farquharson said: I am delighted to be joining Tate as Director of Tate Britain. As the home of500 years of British art, Tate Britain has a unique and fascinating position in the cultural life of thenation. I look forward to working with a highly skilled and experienced team of curators to sharethese histories with audiences of all kinds.

Tate Director, Nicholas Serota, said: Alex Farquharson has established Nottingham Contemporary asone of the leading art galleries in the UK. He has created a programme that serves local andnational audiences, working closely with artists and reflecting history as well as the present.

Alex Farquharson will take up the appointment of Director, Tate Britain in late autumn 2015.

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