NICHOLAS CULLINAN NAMED DIRECTOR OF LONDON’S NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Nicholas Cullinan has been appointed director of the National Portrait Gallery in London. He replaces Sandy Naire, becoming the twelfth director in the institution’s 158-year history, reports Mark Brown of The Guardian. Cullinan is currently curator of modern and contemporary art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a position he assumed two years ago. Said Cullinan: “It is with great pleasure that I return to the National Portrait Gallery, an institution that I have grown up with and where I first worked fourteen years ago. At a time when identity, shared culture, and civic values are increasingly relevant to us all, the National Portrait Gallery is uniquely placed to generate a discussion by reflecting on our common artistic, cultural, and social history—in short, what binds us together.”

Of Cullinan, Sir William Proby, the chair of trustees at the gallery, said: “He is an outstanding curator and art historian, and has wide-ranging international experience. We believe his flair and enthusiasm will allow us to build on the excellent work Sandy Nairne has done over the past twelve years.” Cullinan will begin his new post in the spring of 2015.