The traditional view of middle age is that you either start to takes things easier or you fall into some terrible identity crisis. But neither will be the fate for London's Hayward Gallery, the concrete icon of brutalist architecture that opened 40 years ago this month, if its director, Ralph Rugoff, gets his way.
He is very clear about its future: he wants to reinvigorate the gallery by moving "towards a flexible magazine format, with multiple exhibitions and faster turn-around periods".
The Hayward is part of the Southbank Centre, the arts complex that also comprises the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room. The gallery opened in 1968 with a Matisse show and has since gained a reputation for staging ground-breaking exhibitions - both group shows and individual retrospectives.
Rugoff, who is 11 years older than the Hayward, having been born in New York in 1957, also has a reputation as an innovator. Some of this was gained at the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco, where he had been the director since 2000 before joining the Hayward in May 2006.
Unlike many other senior gallery figures, he did not enter the sector by working his way up as a curator, but was first an art critic and writer. He curated his first show in 1990 after giving a talk in a Los Angeles college that led to him being invited to do an exhibition called Just Pathetic. He spent the next 10 years combining curating with writing.
At the CCA Wattis Institute Rugoff staged unusual shows that tackled themes such as sight gags and slapstick in contemporary art. He says some of the appeal of the Hayward was the chance to continue to innovate offered by Jude Kelly, the artistic director of the Southbank Centre.
"Part of the attraction was Jude Kelly's vision, as she really wanted to shake things up and try new things. I felt there was an open door to experiment."
Kelly says Rugoff is one of a number of people she has brought in as part of her plan to bring audiences and artists closer together at the Southbank. "I went over to his gallery in San Francsico and felt he shared the same ideas as me," she says. "He is prepared to be a maverick and think outside the box."
One of the elements that Rugoff has introduced at the Hayward is the Project Space, which showcases the work of up-and-coming international artists and new work by more established names. Rugoff has also changed the Hayward's personnel.
Laura Stevenson left the Tate in October 2006 to become the Hayward's deputy director, international curator Mami Kataoka joined from the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo in mid-2007, and, later that year, Stephanie Rosenthal became the gallery's chief curator after a decade at the Haus der Kunst in Munich.
As well as the attractions of the Hayward itself, being in London is also important for Rugoff. He lived there for a couple of years at the end of 1990s and says a major difference between then and now is Tate Modern.
"When Tate Modern opened, a lot of people, perhaps even at the Tate, were surprised at how much of a success it was, and that has raised the bar for other arts institutions to do more. There has been a healthy competition between museums in London. I can't imagine a more intense work environment right now in terms of the activity that is going on."
Rugoff has not gone overboard with the 1968 themes for the anniversary year. There will be a party for artists and curators who have worked at the Hayward over the past 40 years, and on 11 July visitors will be able to get in for 40p. There has been an exhibition of posters by students and workers involved in the 1968 Paris strikes and the Southbank has run a series of talks with a 1968 theme.
But other than that, Rugoff has preferred to invoke the spirit of 40 years ago, rather than follow simple 1968 themes: "It would be great to do a whole programme called 1968, but we would miss everything happening in 2008."
There are two major draws this year: an Andy Warhol exhibition opening on 8 October, and Psycho Buildings, which runs until 25 August and takes the Hayward's architecture as its starting point.
The 10 artists include Rachel Whiteread, who has created a village made from 250 dolls' houses, and Havana-based collective Los Carpinteros, which has developed a sculpture that depicts a suspended moment of an explosion.
"Psycho Buildings is doing things that are quite adventurous and quite experimental and not many places are able to do that," Rugoff says. "It was great to give artists the chance to think of ideas that are unexpected."
Rugoff believes the Hayward building is particularly good for certain kinds of exhibitions. "The building is amazing in a way as I don't think that a lot of contemporary museum designs have been as successful as places to show art. The building seems to lend itself to shows that have an experiential quality to them."
The other thing that Psycho Buildings has done is use the Hayward's three outdoor sculpture terraces. Getting more art outside is one of Rugoff's aims, and it was achieved to great effect with last year's Antony Gormley show.
"Getting events outdoors is a great public platform. The message it gives is that contemporary art is not an elitist thing and the right work can be taken out of a traditional venue and can find a huge audience." Rugoff says attracting audiences is often about the way the work is presented.
"We all want to find ways of introducing new audiences to contemporary art that has wide appeal. The Dan Flavin show did it really well - it was a beautiful match, the fluorescent light and the building, which never looked better. Dan Flavin is not really big, not like Andy Warhol, but the show did really well."
Rugoff says he wants people to be engaged by the art, not intimidated by it. To encourage this he is working on wall labels that offer divergent opinions and also wants to get the comments of visitors integrated into exhibitions. "You want to make people feel they are involved somehow. The curator's job is to make that possible."
Rugoff is not particularly flamboyant, but he speaks passionately about art and seems committed to the artists he works with and what they can give audiences.
"Working with artists is the best thing about it; you get into this because you like artists and want to help them where you can. There are so many artists that are making work that can have an impact on our culture. Art does not have to be rarified, it can be challenging, and can activate your mind in a different way."
Even in the midst of the 1968 anniversary celebrations, Rugoff is looking ahead to the programming in 2009 and beyond. Highlights include a retrospective of Los Angeles-based artist Edward Ruscha next year and a Tracey Emin show in 2010.
Further ahead is the potential redevelopment of the Hayward itself, although the Southbank Centre is waiting to see what happens with the British Film Institute's plans to develop a National Film Centre on an adjacent site.
But if the gallery revamp does go ahead, it will allow Rugoff to be involved in a project that could help secure the Hayward's future for the next 40 years.
He is very clear about its future: he wants to reinvigorate the gallery by moving "towards a flexible magazine format, with multiple exhibitions and faster turn-around periods".
The Hayward is part of the Southbank Centre, the arts complex that also comprises the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room. The gallery opened in 1968 with a Matisse show and has since gained a reputation for staging ground-breaking exhibitions - both group shows and individual retrospectives.
Rugoff, who is 11 years older than the Hayward, having been born in New York in 1957, also has a reputation as an innovator. Some of this was gained at the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco, where he had been the director since 2000 before joining the Hayward in May 2006.
Unlike many other senior gallery figures, he did not enter the sector by working his way up as a curator, but was first an art critic and writer. He curated his first show in 1990 after giving a talk in a Los Angeles college that led to him being invited to do an exhibition called Just Pathetic. He spent the next 10 years combining curating with writing.
At the CCA Wattis Institute Rugoff staged unusual shows that tackled themes such as sight gags and slapstick in contemporary art. He says some of the appeal of the Hayward was the chance to continue to innovate offered by Jude Kelly, the artistic director of the Southbank Centre.
"Part of the attraction was Jude Kelly's vision, as she really wanted to shake things up and try new things. I felt there was an open door to experiment."
Kelly says Rugoff is one of a number of people she has brought in as part of her plan to bring audiences and artists closer together at the Southbank. "I went over to his gallery in San Francsico and felt he shared the same ideas as me," she says. "He is prepared to be a maverick and think outside the box."
One of the elements that Rugoff has introduced at the Hayward is the Project Space, which showcases the work of up-and-coming international artists and new work by more established names. Rugoff has also changed the Hayward's personnel.
Laura Stevenson left the Tate in October 2006 to become the Hayward's deputy director, international curator Mami Kataoka joined from the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo in mid-2007, and, later that year, Stephanie Rosenthal became the gallery's chief curator after a decade at the Haus der Kunst in Munich.
As well as the attractions of the Hayward itself, being in London is also important for Rugoff. He lived there for a couple of years at the end of 1990s and says a major difference between then and now is Tate Modern.
"When Tate Modern opened, a lot of people, perhaps even at the Tate, were surprised at how much of a success it was, and that has raised the bar for other arts institutions to do more. There has been a healthy competition between museums in London. I can't imagine a more intense work environment right now in terms of the activity that is going on."
Rugoff has not gone overboard with the 1968 themes for the anniversary year. There will be a party for artists and curators who have worked at the Hayward over the past 40 years, and on 11 July visitors will be able to get in for 40p. There has been an exhibition of posters by students and workers involved in the 1968 Paris strikes and the Southbank has run a series of talks with a 1968 theme.
But other than that, Rugoff has preferred to invoke the spirit of 40 years ago, rather than follow simple 1968 themes: "It would be great to do a whole programme called 1968, but we would miss everything happening in 2008."
There are two major draws this year: an Andy Warhol exhibition opening on 8 October, and Psycho Buildings, which runs until 25 August and takes the Hayward's architecture as its starting point.
The 10 artists include Rachel Whiteread, who has created a village made from 250 dolls' houses, and Havana-based collective Los Carpinteros, which has developed a sculpture that depicts a suspended moment of an explosion.
"Psycho Buildings is doing things that are quite adventurous and quite experimental and not many places are able to do that," Rugoff says. "It was great to give artists the chance to think of ideas that are unexpected."
Rugoff believes the Hayward building is particularly good for certain kinds of exhibitions. "The building is amazing in a way as I don't think that a lot of contemporary museum designs have been as successful as places to show art. The building seems to lend itself to shows that have an experiential quality to them."
The other thing that Psycho Buildings has done is use the Hayward's three outdoor sculpture terraces. Getting more art outside is one of Rugoff's aims, and it was achieved to great effect with last year's Antony Gormley show.
"Getting events outdoors is a great public platform. The message it gives is that contemporary art is not an elitist thing and the right work can be taken out of a traditional venue and can find a huge audience." Rugoff says attracting audiences is often about the way the work is presented.
"We all want to find ways of introducing new audiences to contemporary art that has wide appeal. The Dan Flavin show did it really well - it was a beautiful match, the fluorescent light and the building, which never looked better. Dan Flavin is not really big, not like Andy Warhol, but the show did really well."
Rugoff says he wants people to be engaged by the art, not intimidated by it. To encourage this he is working on wall labels that offer divergent opinions and also wants to get the comments of visitors integrated into exhibitions. "You want to make people feel they are involved somehow. The curator's job is to make that possible."
Rugoff is not particularly flamboyant, but he speaks passionately about art and seems committed to the artists he works with and what they can give audiences.
"Working with artists is the best thing about it; you get into this because you like artists and want to help them where you can. There are so many artists that are making work that can have an impact on our culture. Art does not have to be rarified, it can be challenging, and can activate your mind in a different way."
Even in the midst of the 1968 anniversary celebrations, Rugoff is looking ahead to the programming in 2009 and beyond. Highlights include a retrospective of Los Angeles-based artist Edward Ruscha next year and a Tracey Emin show in 2010.
Further ahead is the potential redevelopment of the Hayward itself, although the Southbank Centre is waiting to see what happens with the British Film Institute's plans to develop a National Film Centre on an adjacent site.
But if the gallery revamp does go ahead, it will allow Rugoff to be involved in a project that could help secure the Hayward's future for the next 40 years.
Ralph Rugoff at a glance
Ralph Rugoff joined the Hayward Gallery in May 2006 from the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco, where he had been the director since 2000. Prior to that he was an arts writer and curator. His publications include a book of essays on popular visual culture called Circus Americanus and monographs on numerous artists, including Mark Wallinger.
Rugoff was a curatorial adviser to the 2002 Sydney Biennale and in 2005 was a curatorial correspondent for the Turin Triennale. In December 2005 he was awarded the $100,000 Katherine Ordway prize, which recognises important contributions to contemporary arts. He was born in New York in 1957.
Ralph Rugoff joined the Hayward Gallery in May 2006 from the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco, where he had been the director since 2000. Prior to that he was an arts writer and curator. His publications include a book of essays on popular visual culture called Circus Americanus and monographs on numerous artists, including Mark Wallinger.
Rugoff was a curatorial adviser to the 2002 Sydney Biennale and in 2005 was a curatorial correspondent for the Turin Triennale. In December 2005 he was awarded the $100,000 Katherine Ordway prize, which recognises important contributions to contemporary arts. He was born in New York in 1957.
The Hayward Gallery opened in 1968 and its iconic brutalist design is the work of the Greater London Council's department of architecture and civic design. It is named after Isaac Hayward, leader of the London County Council from 1947 to 1965.
Responsibility for managing the Hayward transferred from the arts council to the Southbank Centre in 1987. The Hayward manages the Arts Council Collection and runs an Arts Council England-funded touring exhibitions programme.
The Hayward's first show was a Matisse retrospective. Other notable exhibitions include Pop Art (1969); Dada and Surrealism Revealed (1978); Art in Latin America (1989); Art and Power (1995); Spectacular Bodies (1991); and Beyond Reason: Art and Psychosis (1996-97).
A key figure in the history of the Hayward is Joanna Drew, who became the director of exhibitions in 1975 and was appointed director of art in 1978. When control of the Hayward was passed to the Southbank Centre in 1987, she became the gallery's first director. She retired in 1992 and died in 2003. Henry Meyric Hughes and then Susan Ferleger Brades followed her as directors.
Responsibility for managing the Hayward transferred from the arts council to the Southbank Centre in 1987. The Hayward manages the Arts Council Collection and runs an Arts Council England-funded touring exhibitions programme.
The Hayward's first show was a Matisse retrospective. Other notable exhibitions include Pop Art (1969); Dada and Surrealism Revealed (1978); Art in Latin America (1989); Art and Power (1995); Spectacular Bodies (1991); and Beyond Reason: Art and Psychosis (1996-97).
A key figure in the history of the Hayward is Joanna Drew, who became the director of exhibitions in 1975 and was appointed director of art in 1978. When control of the Hayward was passed to the Southbank Centre in 1987, she became the gallery's first director. She retired in 1992 and died in 2003. Henry Meyric Hughes and then Susan Ferleger Brades followed her as directors.