Sally Tallant appointed new director of Hayward Gallery in London | Southbank Centre

Sally Tallant, former chair of the Liverpool Biennale, has been announced as the new director of the Hayward Gallery and Visual Arts at London’s Southbank Centre.

Tallant, who is currently in charge of the Queens Museum in New York, will return to the United Kingdom to replace Ralph Rogoff, who will step down after two decades in charge of the institution, which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Leeds-born Tallant has been in the US since 2019 after spending eight years in charge of the Liverpool Biennial and working for more than a decade at the Serpentine Gallery, where she was head of programs until 2011.

She said she was delighted to be back in London and excited to build on the “outstanding legacy” of Rogoff, who also took charge of the Venice Biennale in 2019. She said she looked forward to “shaping the next chapter of this vital cultural destination and civic institution”.

The move puts an end to speculation about who will get one of the most coveted jobs in the arts, with the Southbank Center attracting around 3.7 million visitors a year.

Tallant has made accessibility a calling card throughout her previous publications. “I want to be a part of making sure arts and arts institutions are relevant and accessible to everyone, especially those who have been historically and systematically excluded because of class, race, gender, disability and sexuality,” she said in a 2021 interview.

Tallant will take up his post in July when celebrations of his 75th birthday take place at the Southbank Centre. Danny Boyle’s film “You Are Here” will see thousands of participants take over the management of the site, celebrating the Foundation’s role in “supporting youth culture from its inception.”

There will also be a historic Anish Kapoor exhibit in Hayward, with foundation leaders hoping the celebrations will galvanize the country in the same way the original celebration did in 1951.

Talent joins an organization facing many challenges. In 2024, Eileen Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Centre, spoke of the need to provide £50 million to refurbish aging infrastructure after Arts Council funding was cut by 41% in real terms over the past decade.

Bedell said that Tallant’s joining comes at a pivotal moment and that she will take over “the presidency of the fair that has defined global contemporary art for 60 years.”

Misan Harriman, president of the Southbank Centre, said Tallant’s appointment “marks an inspiring new chapter” and that during a crucial year for the institution “it is essential that we reflect courage and creativity in the world we live in today”.

During her time in New York, Tallant commissioned artists such as Rashid Johnson, while during her four editions of the Liverpool Biennale she worked with Ugo Rondinone, Peter Blake, Lara Favaretto, Betty Woodman, Tobias Ripperger and Carlos Cruz Diez.

Tallant will work closely with Mark Ball, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, who said he looked forward to seeing her take the Hayward Gallery “into the future in a spirit of openness, energy and radical accessibility”.