Jessica Morgan to Lead Tate as New Director from January 2026

A New Chapter for Tate

Tate has announced that Jessica Morgan will take over as its director in January 2026, succeeding Maria Balshaw, who stepped down last year. Morgan, who currently leads the Dia Art Foundation in New York, will oversee Tate Britain and Tate Modern, along with the institution's sites in Liverpool and St Ives.

In a statement, Morgan said it was an "immense privilege" to be chosen by the trustees and praised Tate as the world's leading institution for modern and contemporary art, both internationally and in the UK.

Stepping Into Turbulent Times

Morgan's appointment comes at a challenging time for Tate. The organisation has faced industrial action, staff redundancies, and declining visitor numbers in recent years. Like many UK national museums, Tate is also navigating funding pressures, including the government's review of potential admission fees for overseas visitors. Last year, Tate launched a US-style fundraising campaign aiming to raise £150 million by 2030.

A Track Record of Collection Building

Before joining Dia in 2015, Morgan built a strong reputation as a curator and collector. At Dia, she expanded the foundation's collection significantly, particularly in works by women artists. When she arrived, women made up just 6.8% of the collection; that figure has now risen to nearly 29%.

Speaking to The Art Newspaper in 2024, Morgan reflected on the foundation's evolution: "We were the epitome of a dead-white-male institution. We inherited a collection with two female artists in it, and the only artist of colour we could point to was On Kawara."

She continued: "The last few years have seen a very deliberate effort to bring into our midst artists who were rightfully part of that [1960s and 70s] history but who were written out."

International Curatorial Work

Morgan has organised major exhibitions globally, including the group show Minimal at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris and a Lee Ufan retrospective at the Venice Biennale. She previously served as artistic director of the 10th Gwangju Biennale in 2014.

Early Career and Education

A graduate of both Cambridge University and the Courtauld Institute of Art, Morgan began her career in the arts working at London's Groucho Club during her teens and early twenties. She later held fellowships at the Yale Centre for British Art and Harvard's Fogg Art Museum, followed by roles at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

Returning to Tate in 2002, she became Daskalopoulos Curator of International Art at Tate Modern from 2010 to 2014. During this period, she co-founded acquisition committees focused on the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

Praise from the Art World

Cornelia Parker welcomed the news, saying Morgan gave her first US solo show at the Boston ICA in 2000. "She has experience, ambition, flair and daring," Parker said.

Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen also praised the appointment, stating: "I greatly admire Jessica; the way she strives to achieve the best for the artists she works with, her knowledge and belief in excellence are so impressive."

Looking Ahead

As Tate faces structural and financial pressures, Morgan's leadership will be closely watched. Her track record in collection development, international collaboration, and institutional reform suggests a forward-looking vision for one of the world's most influential art organisations.