After two decades at the helm, Ralph Rugoff OBE will step down as Director of the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery in spring 2026. His tenure, spanning twenty years, has been marked by daring programming, unconventional approaches to exhibition-making, and a consistent push to broaden the reach of contemporary art.
Appointed in 2006, Rugoff quickly established himself as a curator with little interest in the orthodox. His programme has balanced ambitious solo exhibitions with expansive group shows, often described as “alternative blockbusters.” Works such as Light Show (2013) and Walking in My Mind (2009) drew record audiences with their immersive and experimental formats, while shows like Kiss My Genders (2019) and In the Black Fantastic (2022) interrogated urgent cultural questions through bold and unexpected curatorial lenses.
Rugoff has also ensured that the Hayward Gallery remained a vital platform for leading British artists. Figures including Bridget Riley, Antony Gormley, Mike Nelson, Tracey Emin, and Jeremy Deller all received landmark presentations under his watch. Alongside these headline names, Rugoff expanded the gallery’s reach beyond its Brutalist walls with a programme of free exhibitions and public installations across the Southbank Centre site. Jeppe Hein’s Appearing Rooms fountain, installed in 2006, set the tone for two decades of public art interventions by Phyllida Barlow, Yinka Shonibare, Bharti Kher, and many others.
Beyond London, Rugoff extended the Hayward’s impact internationally. Touring exhibitions travelled to cities including Berlin, Beijing, Sharjah, Sydney, and New York, reinforcing the gallery’s global reputation. His personal curatorial projects have also shaped the institution’s identity: The Painting of Modern Life (2007), Psycho Buildings (2008), Invisible: Art About the Unseen (2012), Mixing It Up (2016), and When Forms Come Alive (2023) stand as defining moments of the past two decades.
Crucially, Rugoff carved out space for younger and less established voices. In 2008, he launched the HENI Project Space, dedicated to emerging artists with little exposure in the UK. More than forty artists from across the globe have since been shown there, from Cyprien Gaillard to Dineo Seshee Bopape. This commitment to early-career practices balanced the Hayward’s role as a stage for prominent international names.
Parallel to his gallery work, Rugoff oversaw the Hayward Touring programme, reaching more than 45 UK towns and cities each year. He also had responsibility for the Arts Council Collection, embedding the Hayward at the centre of Britain’s public art infrastructure.
Outside the Southbank Centre, Rugoff’s curatorial reach extended to major international events. He directed the Lyon Biennale in 2015 and was Artistic Director of the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019, titled May You Live In Interesting Times. The latter confirmed his reputation as one of the most significant curators of his generation.
Honoured with an OBE in 2019 for services to the arts, Rugoff now plans to work independently as a curator and writer. Before he departs, he will oversee three final projects: Gilbert and George: 21st Century Pictures (October 2025), Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life & Yin Xiuzhen: Heart to Heart (February 2026), and a major solo exhibition to coincide with the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary in summer 2026.
An international search for his successor begins this autumn. Whoever follows will inherit a gallery redefined by Rugoff’s restless, inventive spirit, and a programme that made the Hayward a crucible for the art of our time.