Victoria Siddall appointed New Director of London’s National Portrait Gallery

Siddall brings with her more than two decades of experience in the art world’s public and private sectors. Most recently, she co-founded the Gallery Climate Coalition and Murmur, two charities dedicated to promoting environmental responsibility within the art and music industries. Her previous roles include serving as the Global Director of Frieze, where she played a pivotal role in founding Frieze Masters and overseeing the launch of international art fairs in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Seoul. In 2022, she transitioned to a non-executive director role at Frieze, continuing to influence the art world in an ambassadorial capacity.

Her appointment follows the departure of Dr. Nicholas Cullinan OBE, who left the National Portrait Gallery earlier this year to take on the role of Director at the British Museum. Siddall will be stepping into the role currently held by Interim Director Michael Elliott.

David Ross, Chairman of the Trustees of the National Portrait Gallery, praised Siddall’s extensive experience and international profile and expressed confidence in her ability to lead the Gallery through its next development phase. Siddall herself expressed profound honour and excitement at the opportunity to lead the institution, noting the Gallery’s unique role in telling the stories of human achievement through its vast collection of portraits.

In addition to her work with Frieze, Siddall has held numerous other influential positions in the art world. She has served as a trustee for the Gallery Climate Coalition and the Ampersand Foundation, and she was, until recently, a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. As Chair of the Board at Studio Voltaire, Siddall led a successful capital redevelopment campaign, significantly expanding the space for artist studios and public programs. Her voluntary work has also raised over $6.5 million through auction donations for the environmental charity ClientEarth.

Siddall’s appointment has been welcomed by figures across the art and cultural sectors, including Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, who highlighted the historic significance of Siddall becoming the first female Director of the National Portrait Gallery. Nandy expressed confidence in Siddall’s leadership and her ability to build on the Gallery’s recent successes, particularly following its major reopening last year.

Siddall’s diverse experience and commitment to environmental sustainability position her as a forward-thinking leader who is expected to guide the National Portrait Gallery into an exciting new chapter.

Victoria Siddall began her career at Christie’s in 2000 after graduating from Bristol University with a degree in English Literature and Philosophy. She joined Frieze in 2004, first as Head of Development, and in 2012, she launched Frieze Masters as the fair’s inaugural Director. Frieze Masters offered a fresh perspective on historical art, and Victoria enlisted curators, including Adriano Pedrosa, who curated the Spotlight section showcasing lesser-known 20th-century artists.

In 2015, Victoria took over from the organisation’s founders as Global Director of the Frieze fairs in London and New York. In 2019, she oversaw the launch of Frieze Los Angeles at Paramount Studios, which celebrated LA’s extensive art scene and created a globally significant art week in the city. In January 2021, Victoria became Board Director of Frieze, and secured the launch of Frieze Seoul, which took place for the first time in September 2022. Victoria is now a Non-executive Director of Frieze and continues to play an ambassadorial and advisory role.

Victoria joined the board of Studio Voltaire in 2012 and became Chair of the trustees in 2014. Studio Voltaire is a non-profit gallery and artist studio complex in south London that plays a vital role in the local community and on the global stage. During her tenure, she oversaw a major capital redevelopment campaign, and Studio Voltaire reopened in 2021 with significantly increased and improved artist studio spaces and public programmes. She has recently been made an honorary trustee.

In 2020, Victoria co-founded Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), a charity and membership organisation for the art world with over 1,100 members in 40 countries. All of them have committed to a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. As a trustee of GCC, Victoria has been a global ambassador on this topic, speaking and chairing panel discussions to raise awareness and drive change across the industry.

With Thomas Dane and Christie’s, Victoria launched Artists for ClientEarth in 2021, raising over $6.5m for this leading environmental charity through donations of artists’ work. Works were sold over a year and included contributions from Cecily Brown, Rashid Johnson, Xie Nanxing, Antony Gormley and Beatriz Milhazes.

Victoria is 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. Murmur launched with over £1m in pledges from art and music organisations. Funds are allocated to industry solutions, environmental charities, and empowering artists and musicians to change the conversation and generate positive action.

Since 2022, Victoria has been working closely with Tate’s Directors and Trustees as a Strategic Advisor and has also advised other art organisations.

From July 2023 to August 2024, Victoria was a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, having served on the Reopening Committee for the year before. She is also a Trustee of the Ampersand Foundation.

Main Image: Victoria Siddall by Benjamin McMahon Copyright Benjamin McMahon