Sally Tallant appointed as new director of London’s Hayward Gallery

Sally Tallant, the former boss of the Liverpool Biennial, has been announced as the new director of the Hayward Gallery and visual arts at London’s Southbank Centre.Tallant, who is currently in charge of the Queens Museum in New York, will return to the UK to take over from Ralph Rugoff, who will step down after two decades in charge of the institution, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.The Leeds-born Tallant has been in the US since 2019 after an eight-year stint in charge of the Liverpool Biennial and more than a decade working at the Serpentine Gallery, where she was head of programmes until 2011.She said she was delighted to be returning to London and excited to build on the “outstanding legacy” of Rugoff, who also took charge of the Venice Biennale in 2019. She said she was looking forward to “shaping the next chapter of this vital cultural destination and civic institution”.The move brings an end to speculation over who would get one of the most sought-after jobs in the arts, with the Southbank Centre attracting about 3.7 million visitors annually.Tallant has made accessibility a calling card during her previous posts. In a 2021 interview, she said: “I want to be a part of making sure art and arts institutions are relevant and accessible to everyone, especially those who have been historically and systemically excluded because of class, race, gender, disability and sexuality.”Tallant will take over in July when the 75th birthday celebrations at the Southbank Centre are under way. Danny Boyle’s You Are Here will see thousands of participants take over the site in a celebration of the institution’s role in “supporting youth culture since its inception”.There will also be a landmark Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Hayward, with leaders of the institution hoping the celebrations will galvanise the country in the same way the original celebration did in 1951.Tallant joins an institution facing many challenges. In 2024 the Southbank Centre’s CEO, Elaine Bedell, spoke about the need to find £50m to renovate its dated infrastructure after its Arts Council funding was cut by 41% in real terms over the past decade.Bedell said Tallant was joining at a pivotal moment and she would take the “helm of a gallery that has defined global contemporary art for 60 years”.Misan Harriman, the chair of the Southbank Centre, said Tallant’s appointment “marks an inspiring new chapter” and that during a crucial year for the institution “it is essential that we reflect the courage and creativity of the world we live in today”.During her time in New York, Tallant commissioned artists such as Rashid Johnson, while during her four editions of the Liverpool Biennial she worked with Ugo Rondinone, Peter Blake, Lara Favaretto, Betty Woodman, Tobias Rehberger and Carlos Cruz-Diez.Tallant will work closely with Mark Ball, the artistic director of the Southbank Centre, who said he was looking forward to seeing her bring the Hayward Gallery “into the future with a spirit of openness, energy and radical accessibility”.