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Penelope Curtis Leaves Tate Britain After Pressure From Art World

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  • Penelope Curtis Leaves Tate Britain After Pressure From Art World

    PENELOPE CURTIS LEAVES TATE BRITAIN AFTER PRESSURE FROM ART WORLD

    Penelope Curtis has left Tate Britain to take up a new job in Portugal

    Penelope Curtis, who is leaving Tate Britain

    By Hannah Furness, Arts Correspondent

    7:58PM BST 31 Mar 2015

    The director of Tate Britain, Penelope Curtis, is to leave the country
    to take up a new role at a Portuguese gallery, after facing heavy
    criticism from the UK art world.

    Curtis, who was appointed director in 2010 and oversaw a major
    refurbishment of the gallery, has been appointed head of the Museu
    Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon.

    She will become the first foreign director of the small gallery, which
    houses a 6,000-strong collection of works accumulated by Armenian
    oil magnate Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian.

    The move, now officially confirmed, will bring an end to Curtis's
    controversial time at Tate, in which she has been subject to what
    the Art Newspaper described as criticism which "verged on a vendetta".

    Last year, some influential art critics called for her time at the
    helm to be brought to a swift end, citing exhibitions they felt
    unsuccessful and only appealing only to a minority.

    Others, including the Telegraph's Richard Dorment, put up a spirited
    defence of Curtis, saying calls to sack her were "sheer madness"
    and pointing out she "has already done more to change Tate Britain
    for the better than any director since the great Sir Nicholas Serota".

    Henry Moore's 'Draped Seated Figure' on show in Walk Through British
    Art at the Tate Britain (Paul Grover)

    During her time at the gallery, she has overseen a much-lauded £45m
    redesign of the building and widely-praised rehang of the entire
    permanent collection, as well as exhibitions of the works of JMW
    Turner, Lowry and the Pre-Raphaelites.

    She has also approved Art Under Attack, a show about iconoclasm awarded
    one star by this newspaper, and Ruin Lust, which left the reviewer
    "disappointed and frustrated".

    Calls for her dismissal began in earnest in April last year, when
    figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions showed
    visitor numbers fell by 10 per cent in 2013 to 1.38m.

    Figures released earlier this month show a further fall to 1.36,
    and 20th place in a table of UK attractions.

    Art critic Waldemar Januszczak declared "Curtis has to go. She really
    does," while Brian Sewell lamented a "drop in intellectual standards".

    Earlier this month, following the launch of Sculpture Victorious,
    the Spectator declared: "Curtis must certainly go now."

    Visitors to Art Under Attack at Tate Britain (Christopher Pledger)

    Announcing her new job, Curtis said she admired the Lisbon gallery
    "deeply" and would like "keep all that is good about the museum"
    while "developing ways in which it can make more of its context
    and position".

    She will remain at Tate Britain until July to work out her notice
    period.

    Responding to the news, Sir Nicholas Serota, director of Tate
    galleries, said: "We shall miss Penelope but we are delighted that
    a distinguished British scholar is the first international Director
    to lead and develop this prestigious museum."

    He added: "Over the last five years Penelope Curtis has led Tate
    Britain with a clarity of vision that has resulted in the successful
    redevelopment of the gallery and a highly acclaimed rehang of the
    collection.

    "She established a new chronological presentation and introduced
    free changing focus displays which have allowed the Gallery to
    present specific artists, themes or new research relating to Tate's
    collection."

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/11507704/Penelope-Curtis-leaves-Tate-Britain-after-pressure-from-art-world.html




    From: A. Papazian
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