The Southbank Centre has named Sally Tallant the new director of the Hayward Gallery, a role she will begin in July. She is replacing the Hayward’s longtime director Ralph Rugoff, who recently announced his resignation after 20 years at the helm.
As part of her new position, Tallant will also oversee visual art installations at other institutions that make up the Southbank Centre, a cultural hub along the Thames River in London. In additional to the Hayward Gallery, which focuses on contemporary art, Southbank also includes three performance spaces and the National Poetry Library.
Mark Ball, the Southbank Centre’s artistic director, called Tallant a “visionary leader and curator” and praised her ability to “create world-class encounters that bridge the gap between art and community.”
Tallant has been president and executive director of the Queens Museum in New York since 2018. Before that, she was director of the Liverpool Biennial and head of programs at the Serpentine Galleries in London. She joined the Queens Museum during a tumultuous time: former director Laura Raicovich had recently resigned due to ongoing disagreements with the board over the museum’s decision to host an event involving the Israeli government and Mike Pence, then the Vice President of the US.
At the Queens Museum, Tallant oversaw exhibitions by dozens of artists, among them Fia Backström, Christine Sun Kim, Aki Sasamoto, Lyle Ashton Harris, and Mierle Laderman Ukeles.
Tallant, who was born in Leeds, said in a statement, “It is an honour to join Mark Ball and Elaine Bedell [Southbank CEO], and to build on the outstanding legacy of Ralph Rugoff, shaping the next chapter of this vital cultural destination and civic institution.”
