Tate has appointed Karin Hindsbo, director of The National Museum, Oslo, to take over as director of Tate Modern from September 2023.
Hindsbo has been director of The National Museum since 2017. The institution was created under her leadership, during which she finalised the consolidation of the former National Gallery, Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Architecture, and National Touring Exhibitions.
The new museum, designed by Kleihues + Schuwerk and developed by Hindsbo and her team, was opened in June 2022 in a new 54,600sq m building housing a collection of 400,000 items, making it the largest museum in the Nordic countries.
Hindsbo has also worked as director of several art institutions and museums in Norway and Denmark, including Kode in Bergen, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristiansand, Kunsthal Aarhus (2009-11), and Den Frie Centre for Contemporary Art in Copenhagen. She was previously editor in chief of Danish cultural journal Øjeblikket, an external lecturer at the Institute of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen, and an assistant manager and curator at Overgaden, a contemporary art institute in Copenhagen.
“I’m beyond excited to join the skilled staff and to be a part of the whole Tate organisation,” said Hindsbo. “Tate Modern has always been a special place for me and I have had some of my greatest experiences encountering art there.
“Tate Modern is a leading art museum and a ground-breaking institution. I’m eager to continue the magnificent work being done, creating a unique and inspiring museum for a wide and diverse audience.”
Writing in Norwegian on her Instagram page, Hindsbo added that, “Initially, I’d thought that I would try something completely different from working with art museums, at least for a while. But when this opportunity presented itself, I had to take it.”
Maria Balshaw, director of Tate, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Karin as director of Tate Modern. The success of the new National Museum in Oslo – delivered in the midst of a global pandemic – is a testament to her skill as a leader. Her nuanced and diverse approach to expressing national and transnational artistic ecologies chimes with Tate Modern’s ethos brilliantly.”
Karin Hindsbo will step down from her current role this summer and will begin as director of Tate Modern in September 2023.