Nicholas Serota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Nicholas Serota
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Serota in 2006
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| 8th Director of the Tate | |
| In office 1988–2017 |
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| Preceded by | Alan Bowness |
| Succeeded by | Maria Balshaw |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Nicholas Andrew Serota
27 April 1946 Hampstead, London, England |
| Spouses | Angela Beveridge (m. 1973; div. 1995); Teresa Gleadowe (m. 1997), now Lady Serota |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | The Baroness Serota |
| Education | Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, Elstree |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge; Courtauld Institute of Art |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor (1999) Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (2013) |
Sir Nicholas Andrew Serota (born 27 April 1946) is a British art historian and curator. An art historian studies the history of art. A curator is someone who manages a collection of art in a museum or gallery.
He has been chairman of Arts Council England since February 2017. Before that, he was director of the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, then the Whitechapel Gallery in London. He was also the director of the Tate from 1988 to 2017. He chaired the Turner Prize jury until 2007.
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Early Life and Art Beginnings
Nicholas Serota was born and grew up in Hampstead, North London. His father, Stanley Serota, was a civil engineer. His mother, Beatrice Katz Serota, was a civil servant who later became a life peer. This meant she was given a special title and could sit in the House of Lords. She was also a government minister.
Nicholas went to Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School. He then studied economics at Christ's College, Cambridge. Later, he changed his focus to the history of art. He earned a master's degree from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. His main project was about the famous artist J. M. W. Turner.
In 1969, Serota became the head of a new group called the Young Friends of the Tate. This group had 750 members. They used a building near Waterloo Bridge to hold lectures and art classes for children. The Young Friends also put on their own art shows.
In 1970, Serota joined the Arts Council of Great Britain. He worked in the Visual Arts Department. In 1973, he became the director of the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. This museum is now known as Modern Art Oxford. There, he put on an early exhibition of work by Joseph Beuys. He also started working with Alexander "Sandy" Nairne. They worked together on many projects over the years.
Leading the Whitechapel Gallery
In 1976, Serota became the director of the Whitechapel Gallery in London's East End. The Whitechapel was a well-known gallery, but it needed more money and resources.
Serota brought together a strong team at the Whitechapel. He organized exhibitions for important artists like Carl Andre, Eva Hesse, and Gerhard Richter. He also showed early works by new artists such as Antony Gormley.
Sometimes, the art shows received negative reviews in the newspapers. People didn't always understand or like the modern avant-garde art. But Serota gained a strong reputation in the international art world.
In 1984–1985, Serota closed the Whitechapel for over a year. This was for a big renovation project. They added a new gallery, a restaurant, and a lecture theatre. The project cost a lot of money. In 1987, Serota held an auction where artists donated their work. He raised £1.4 million. This money helped pay off the debt and create a fund for future exhibitions. This fund allowed the gallery to show more unusual art.
Directing the Tate Galleries
In 1988, Nicholas Serota was chosen to be the director of the Tate. This was a very important job in the art world. He had to present a plan for the Tate's future. His plan was called "Grasping the Nettle." It looked at all parts of the Tate's work. He suggested new ways to deal with money problems and rising art prices. He believed the gallery was loved, but not respected enough.
Many people were excited about Serota's appointment. The artist Howard Hodgkin said Serota had "enormous energy" and was "passionate" about modern art. However, some critics, like Peter Fuller, worried he wouldn't be able to look after the Tate's older art collection.
For many years, people knew the Tate Gallery needed to expand. In 1993, the National Lottery started. This made it possible to get a lot of public money for a bigger gallery.
In 1995, the Tate received £52 million to turn an old power station into Tate Modern. The total cost was £135 million. Serota managed to find the rest of the money from private donors. Tate Modern opened in May 2000. It quickly became a very popular place for tourists in London. It has shown amazing works by artists like Louise Bourgeois and Anish Kapoor. It has also held successful exhibitions of Picasso, Matisse, and Edward Hopper.
In 2000, Serota gave a famous speech called the Dimbleby Lecture. He talked about how modern art can be difficult for some people to understand. He mentioned headlines about the Turner Prize, like "pickled sheep and soiled bed." He said that even though people enjoy visiting museums, they can still be unsure about the art inside.
In 2005, there was an issue regarding a grant for a painting called The Upper Room. The Art Fund gave the Tate a £75,000 grant. Serota admitted there was a problem with the application form. The Charity Commission later found that the Tate had broken charity rules over this purchase. Despite this, the Art Fund allowed the Tate to keep the grant.
In September 2016, the Tate announced that Serota would leave his role as director in 2017. He became the Chairman of Arts Council England. Maria Balshaw took over as director of the Tate.
Public Reactions to Serota
Some groups, like Platform and Liberate Tate, have criticized Serota. They were unhappy that the Tate accepted money from the oil company BP. They felt this was wrong because of BP's environmental impact. Serota responded that you don't abandon your friends when they are having a "temporary difficulty."
The art critic Brian Sewell used the phrase 'the Serota tendency'. This referred to the popular BritArt movement of the 1990s. This art style was often shown at the Tate under Serota's leadership.
The Stuckist art group has often spoken out against Serota since 1999. One of their most famous paintings is Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision (2000). This painting makes fun of Serota. In 2004, Serota visited a Stuckist show at the Walker Art Gallery. He described their work as "lively." In 2005, the Stuckists offered 160 of their paintings to the Tate. Serota said the work was not good enough to be part of the national collection.
In 2001, Stuart Pearson Wright, an artist, said that Serota should be fired. He felt Serota focused too much on conceptual art and not enough on traditional figurative painting.
Awards and Personal Life
Nicholas Serota was made a Knight in 1999. This means he can use the title "Sir." In 2013, he was also appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. This award is given for great service to the arts.
He has also received awards from France. He is an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur.
In 1973, Serota married Angela Beveridge. They had two daughters, Anya and Beth. They divorced in 1995. In 1997, he married Teresa Gleadowe, who is also involved in the art world. Sir Nicholas and Lady Serota live in both London and Cornwall.
