Victoria Siddall by Benjamin McMahon (c) Benjamin McMahon
Co-founder of multiple environmentally-focussed art sector charities succeeds Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE.
The National Portrait Gallery has announced the appointment of its thirteenth Director.
Victoria Siddall joins the London institution having most recently co-founded two charities hoping to drive better environmental responsibility in the art sector.
She is co-founder of Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), a charity and membership organisation for the art world which has over 1100 members in 40 countries, all of whom have committed to a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
She is also the Founding Director of Murmur, a new initiative launched earlier this year that channels funds from the art and music industries into the most impactful environmental projects.
With Thomas Dane and Christie’s, Victoria secured work to be auctioned by environmental charity Artists for ClientEarth, helping to raise over $6.5m through donations of artists’ work from Cecily Brown, Rashid Johnson, Xie Nanxing, Antony Gormley and Beatriz Milhazes.
Siddall has recently worked with Tate in a strategic advisory capacity, was previously Global Director of Frieze, founding Frieze Masters and then leading four international art fairs across London, New York and Los Angeles.
After securing the launch of Frieze Seoul, she became a non-executive Director of Frieze in March 2022.
She was until recently a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, and is a trustee of co-founded charity Gallery Climate Coalition and grant-awarding visual arts trust Ampersand Foundation.
The appointment follows the departure of previous post-holder, Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE, who became Director of the British Museum in June 2024. Siddall will take over from Interim Director Michael Elliott.
David Ross, Chairman of the Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, London said Sidall “has the vision and determination to build on our recent successes and lead the next stage of the Gallery’s development, and I greatly look forward to working with her.’
Siddall said: “This is perhaps the most exciting time in the NPG’s history, following the recent reopening and Inspiring People project that the team delivered so flawlessly under Nicholas Cullinan’s leadership. The perfect stage has been built and I am thrilled to work with my new colleagues, the museum’s trustees and supporters and of course the artists, as we look to the future and embark on a new chapter.”
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said she was “excited to see what [Siddall] and the National Portrait Gallery team will have in store for us in the coming years.’
