Directors

Scope and content: correspondence with statutory and official bodies, 1927-1987; correspondence with individuals, 1965-1969; correspondence with UK museums and galleries, 1932-1968; correspondence with foreign museums and galleries, 1912-1960; correspondence with institutions, 1939-1965; miscellaneous correspondence series, 1934-1968; subject files, 1914-1949.

OPEN

There have been nine Directors and Keepers of the Tate since its foundation in 1897. The post was originally held by a Keeper who was under the authority of the Director of the National Gallery. The establishment of a separate Board of Trustees for the Tate in 1917 was accompanied by an upgrading of the post to Director. The Director became the accounting officer for the Gallery following the National Gallery and Tate Gallery Act 1954.

Keepers:

Charles Holroyd (1897-1906)

D.S. MacColl (1906-1911)

Charles Aitken (7 Mar 1911-23 Mar 1917)

Directors:

Charles Aitken (24 Mar 1917-31 Jul 1930)

J.B. Manson (1930-1938)

John Rothenstein (knighted in 1952) (1938-Sep 1964)

Norman Reid (knighted in 1970) (1 Oct 1964-Dec 1979)

Alan Bowness (knighted in 1988) (Jan 1980-31 Aug 1988)

Nicholas Serota (knighted in 1999) (1 Sep 1988-31 May 2017)

Maria Balshaw (1 June 2017-present)