FELIX CLAY
Big news from London this morning: Tate announced that it has hired Gregor Muir, the director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in the city, to be the new director of collection, international art. Muir takes the place of Frances Morris, who was named director of Tate Modern in January. Muir starts in his new role at the beginning of next year.
Muir became head of ICA London in early 2011, when the institution was wracked by fiscal deficits. During his tenure, he has worked to strengthen its financial footing, and overseen shows of work by artists including Tauba Auerbach, Isa Genzken, and James Richards. “While I have some work ahead of me at the ICA, I’m incredibly proud of what the team has been able to achieve since I joined,” he said in a statement released to press. “As we celebrate the ICA’s 70th anniversary this year, the institute looks forward to an exciting future.”
The move to Tate marks a homecoming for Muir, who was Kramlich Curator of Contemporary Art at Tate Modern from 2001 to 2004. Between 2004 and 2011, he was a director at Hauser & Wirth, making him one of the rare individuals to transition from the nonprofit sector into the commercial world and back again.
“Gregor has, for decades, played a central role in promoting British and international contemporary art and has a wealth of relevant experience,” Nicholas Serota, the director of Tate, said in a news release. “He has had a distinguished curatorial career to date, and has built longstanding relationships with a wide range of artists and colleagues in the field.”