Tate Director Maria Balshaw to Step Down in 2026
Maria Balshaw, director of Tate since 2017, will step down next spring. During her nine-year tenure, she diversified the artist roster, improved gender and geographic balance in acquisitions, and launched the Tate Collective offering £5 tickets to 16–25-year-olds. Under her leadership, Tate remained the world's most visited modern art museum as of 2025, with 150,000 members. Her final project is a Tracey Emin retrospective at Tate Modern opening February 2026.
Key facts
- Maria Balshaw has helmed Tate since 2017.
- She will step down next spring (2026).
- Tate remains the most visited modern art museum in the world as of 2025.
- Tate has the largest arts membership totalling 150,000.
- Balshaw launched the Tate Collective in 2018, offering £5 tickets to ages 16–25.
- Exhibition highlights under Balshaw include Leigh Bowery, Isaac Julien, Emily Kam Kngwarray, and Yoko Ono.
- Balshaw's last project is a Tracey Emin retrospective at Tate Modern opening February 2026.
- Post-Covid visitor numbers declined but Tate remains top.
Entities
Artists
- Maria Balshaw
- Leigh Bowery
- Isaac Julien
- Emily Kam Kngwarray
- Yoko Ono
- Tracey Emin
Institutions
- Tate
- Tate Modern
- Tate Collective
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom