There is a bold reality to face: Maria Balshaw will step away from her role as Tate's director in 2026, concluding a demanding nine-year run that included guiding the gallery through the Covid-19 crisis, navigating volatile attendance, and managing financial instability. Balshaw, who assumed the post in June 2017 after leading the Whitworth in Manchester with notable acclaim, described her tenure as an honor but said the moment to pass the baton has arrived.
She stated: “With a growing and increasingly diverse audience, and a brilliant forward plan in place, I feel now is the right time to move on. My greatest thrill has always been to work closely with artists, and so it is fitting that Tracey Emin’s exhibition will be my final project at Tate.”
Tate’s chair, Roland Rudd, called Balshaw a “trailblazer,” underscoring that she has remained true to her core belief: that more people should experience the rich world of art and that more artists deserve a voice in that story.
Balshaw inherited the director’s chair from Nicholas Serota, who helped establish Tate Modern a quarter-century ago and now chairs Arts Council England. During her tenure, she delivered several high-profile projects, including Steve McQueen’s Year 3—an ambitious “collective school portrait” depicting 76,000 seven- and eight-year-olds from across London—and a series of group shows such as Women in Revolt and Life Between Islands that spotlighted artists who had previously been marginalized. She also supported major exhibitions for Leigh Bowery and Emily Kam Kngwarray.
Beyond curatorial achievements, Balshaw challenged arts funding norms, criticizing sponsorships from fossil fuel companies. She noted that public sentiment has shifted toward viewing such sponsorship as inappropriate, referencing how contributors like BP have sparked controversy elsewhere; Tate itself ended its BP partnership in 2016.
The director has faced significant controversies as well, including a 2022 Guardian report about a six-figure settlement Tate paid to two artists who alleged discrimination, victimisation, and harassment. Balshaw’s leadership came amid the pandemic-era strain of running a sprawling, multi-site institution across four UK locations, with escalating operating costs that were heavily impacted by lockdowns.
Tate responded to the crisis with financial adjustments, including redundancies in 2020 to save around £4.8 million and, more recently, a plan to reduce payroll by 7% to address a pandemic-induced funding gap. Ongoing industrial action by PCS union members over pay and conditions has continued to echo through the sector, with potential implications into 2026.
Attendance figures provide a mixed picture: March data showed declines at Tate Modern and Tate Britain since 2019, while Balshaw highlighted that 2019 remains Tate’s strongest year on record for visitors. Tate Modern marked its 25th anniversary with a high-volume birthday weekend, hinting at a possible rebound in 2025.
Debate around Tate’s future also intensified as some critics warned that the National Gallery’s recent move to broaden its modern-art holdings could threaten Tate’s position; Balshaw welcomed the shift as a potential opportunity for broader dialogue within the national museum landscape.
Tate will begin searching for Balshaw’s successor immediately, with oversight by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Tate’s trustees, and final appointment approval by the prime minister.
Balshaw conveyed enthusiasm for her remaining weeks, noting she will devote energy to the Tracey Emin exhibition scheduled for early 2026 and to continued collaboration with artists and her own writing projects. Would you agree that this transition represents a natural progression for Tate, or does it risk interrupting momentum built under Balshaw’s leadership? Share your perspective in the comments.
