When Iwona Blazwick became the director of the Whitechapel Gallery London's East End in 2002, she immediately had a big decision to make.
"The week I took over the directorship of the gallery I had to sign the contract to buy the library building," she says. "I was terrified, but I spoke to a lot of colleagues and artists who said it was the opportunity of a lifetime."
The gallery has struggled financially in the past, and nearly had to close in the 1970s, but Blazwick's decision has not led to bankruptcy.
Instead, it has paid off handsomely with last month's reopening following a £13.5m expansion that includes the conversion of the library building. Gallery space has been increased by nearly 80 per cent and there are a range of other new facilities, including a large education and research tower.
The gallery reopened with an exhibition by German sculptor Isa Genzken and a site-specific artwork by Goshka Macuga that is inspired by Picasso's Guernica coming to the Whitechapel in 1939 on its only UK visit. The Macuga work is sponsored by financial information provider Bloomberg, which continues a long tradition of financial support from the nearby City.
There is also a display of work from the British Council collection, which has been chosen by artist Michael Craig-Martin, and an exhibition based on the gallery's archive called The Whitechapel Boys, which looks at the formation of the vorticist movement in the former Whitechapel Library.
"Our programme is being broadened dramatically," says Blazwick. "The ambition is to offer something for every one. We won't have to close to change exhibitions. We were defined by each show, so if you hated that particular project you might not come back for years. Our biggest gain is there will always be something on display."
This is the biggest redevelopment of the gallery since it opened in 1901 with the mission to offer the "finest art of the world for the people of the East End". Since then, despite its relatively small size, it has become one of the UK's most influential art institutions, known for introducing artists who go on to gain widespread acclaim.
"The Whitechapel is definitely a history of firsts," Blazwick says. "The first Pollock, the first Mark Rothko, the first Robert Rauschenberg."
But these exhibitions were held in the 1950s and 1960s and today's contemporary art scene is very different, with far more galleries competing to show works and far more art being produced to keep track of. Nevertheless, Blazwick seems unfazed by having to repeat past successes. "We have got keep being able to do that, which is quite a challenge to get right. Will they be in the Tate tomorrow, that is the question."
As well as having to deal with the gallery's reputation, Blazwick is also following in the footsteps of some influential Whitechapel directors (see above) such as Nicholas Serota, now the director of the Tate, and Bryan Roberston, whose period at the Whitechapel during the 1950s and 1960s saw it stage some of its most important exhibitions.
But Blazwick says she is energised rather than weighed down by the gallery's history. "You feel that you are part of this great continuity. It is challenging, but rather than the history being something you want to throw off, I feel it is something that we have got to continue in the way my very distinguished predecessors did."
Blazwick's embracing of the gallery's history has very much dictated the redevelopment of the Whitechapel. Many of the details in the old building have been restored and retained, although the overall look of the galleries themselves is in keeping with the neutrality of 21st-century art institutions.
Education has long-been important to the gallery and the new spaces for learning build on this. "Education has always been part of the Whitechapel DNA," says Blazwick. "But hopefully now it's richer and deeper and a little bit less paternalistic than it was in the early days."
The direct involvement of artists has also been an important part of the gallery's past, and David Hockney is among the many who have donated works to help its finances. Blazwick made sure artists were very much involved in the redevelopment, with Rachel Whiteread and Cornelia Parker sitting on the architectural selection panel.
Artists have also been employed to create works throughout the building, with Liam Gillick designing auditorium seating, Annie Ratti developing a drinking fountain and Rodney Graham creating a weather vane.
"There are seams of art running throughout the building," says Blazwick. "We are a gallery that is surrounded by artists' studios and galleries, so they are very much part of our community."
Blazwick's understanding of artists is something that has characterised her career. She originally wanted to be one herself, but admits she was not very good. So she decided that she would be better off presenting the work of artists other than herself.
She started off working for a publisher of arts books before taking a job as director of the Air Gallery in 1984. From there she moved on to the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), where she worked as the director of exhibitions.
It was at the ICA where Blazwick gained a reputation for spotting up-and-coming artists, and gave Damien Hirst his first major public London show. She left the ICA in 1993 to work as an independent curator, and her talents did not go unnoticed by the Tate, who employed her to work on the development of Tate Modern in 1997.
Blazwick seems to be the most high profile of a group of influential directors of contemporary art galleries in London that include Margot Heller at the South London Gallery, Julia Peyton-Jones at the Serpentine Gallery and Jenni Lomax at the Camden Arts Centre. Blazwick was awarded an OBE in 2008 and late last year became chairwoman of mayor Boris Johnson's London Cultural Strategy Group.
Her stock looks set to rise further with the reopening of the Whitechapel. And with characteristic confidence, she brushes off concerns about the effects of the recession and points to rising gallery attendances in the US as evidence that the Whitechapel might do well in an economic downturn.
"In some ways the recession might be a good thing for us. If there is nothing else, you can always come here. In these times, art is more important than ever."
"The week I took over the directorship of the gallery I had to sign the contract to buy the library building," she says. "I was terrified, but I spoke to a lot of colleagues and artists who said it was the opportunity of a lifetime."
The gallery has struggled financially in the past, and nearly had to close in the 1970s, but Blazwick's decision has not led to bankruptcy.
Instead, it has paid off handsomely with last month's reopening following a £13.5m expansion that includes the conversion of the library building. Gallery space has been increased by nearly 80 per cent and there are a range of other new facilities, including a large education and research tower.
The gallery reopened with an exhibition by German sculptor Isa Genzken and a site-specific artwork by Goshka Macuga that is inspired by Picasso's Guernica coming to the Whitechapel in 1939 on its only UK visit. The Macuga work is sponsored by financial information provider Bloomberg, which continues a long tradition of financial support from the nearby City.
There is also a display of work from the British Council collection, which has been chosen by artist Michael Craig-Martin, and an exhibition based on the gallery's archive called The Whitechapel Boys, which looks at the formation of the vorticist movement in the former Whitechapel Library.
"Our programme is being broadened dramatically," says Blazwick. "The ambition is to offer something for every one. We won't have to close to change exhibitions. We were defined by each show, so if you hated that particular project you might not come back for years. Our biggest gain is there will always be something on display."
This is the biggest redevelopment of the gallery since it opened in 1901 with the mission to offer the "finest art of the world for the people of the East End". Since then, despite its relatively small size, it has become one of the UK's most influential art institutions, known for introducing artists who go on to gain widespread acclaim.
"The Whitechapel is definitely a history of firsts," Blazwick says. "The first Pollock, the first Mark Rothko, the first Robert Rauschenberg."
But these exhibitions were held in the 1950s and 1960s and today's contemporary art scene is very different, with far more galleries competing to show works and far more art being produced to keep track of. Nevertheless, Blazwick seems unfazed by having to repeat past successes. "We have got keep being able to do that, which is quite a challenge to get right. Will they be in the Tate tomorrow, that is the question."
As well as having to deal with the gallery's reputation, Blazwick is also following in the footsteps of some influential Whitechapel directors (see above) such as Nicholas Serota, now the director of the Tate, and Bryan Roberston, whose period at the Whitechapel during the 1950s and 1960s saw it stage some of its most important exhibitions.
But Blazwick says she is energised rather than weighed down by the gallery's history. "You feel that you are part of this great continuity. It is challenging, but rather than the history being something you want to throw off, I feel it is something that we have got to continue in the way my very distinguished predecessors did."
Blazwick's embracing of the gallery's history has very much dictated the redevelopment of the Whitechapel. Many of the details in the old building have been restored and retained, although the overall look of the galleries themselves is in keeping with the neutrality of 21st-century art institutions.
Education has long-been important to the gallery and the new spaces for learning build on this. "Education has always been part of the Whitechapel DNA," says Blazwick. "But hopefully now it's richer and deeper and a little bit less paternalistic than it was in the early days."
The direct involvement of artists has also been an important part of the gallery's past, and David Hockney is among the many who have donated works to help its finances. Blazwick made sure artists were very much involved in the redevelopment, with Rachel Whiteread and Cornelia Parker sitting on the architectural selection panel.
Artists have also been employed to create works throughout the building, with Liam Gillick designing auditorium seating, Annie Ratti developing a drinking fountain and Rodney Graham creating a weather vane.
"There are seams of art running throughout the building," says Blazwick. "We are a gallery that is surrounded by artists' studios and galleries, so they are very much part of our community."
Blazwick's understanding of artists is something that has characterised her career. She originally wanted to be one herself, but admits she was not very good. So she decided that she would be better off presenting the work of artists other than herself.
She started off working for a publisher of arts books before taking a job as director of the Air Gallery in 1984. From there she moved on to the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), where she worked as the director of exhibitions.
It was at the ICA where Blazwick gained a reputation for spotting up-and-coming artists, and gave Damien Hirst his first major public London show. She left the ICA in 1993 to work as an independent curator, and her talents did not go unnoticed by the Tate, who employed her to work on the development of Tate Modern in 1997.
Blazwick seems to be the most high profile of a group of influential directors of contemporary art galleries in London that include Margot Heller at the South London Gallery, Julia Peyton-Jones at the Serpentine Gallery and Jenni Lomax at the Camden Arts Centre. Blazwick was awarded an OBE in 2008 and late last year became chairwoman of mayor Boris Johnson's London Cultural Strategy Group.
Her stock looks set to rise further with the reopening of the Whitechapel. And with characteristic confidence, she brushes off concerns about the effects of the recession and points to rising gallery attendances in the US as evidence that the Whitechapel might do well in an economic downturn.
"In some ways the recession might be a good thing for us. If there is nothing else, you can always come here. In these times, art is more important than ever."
Iwona Blazwick at a glance
Iwona Blazwick was born in 1955 in Blackheath in south-east London. She studied English and fine art at Exeter University before returning to London to work at a publisher of art books. Her first gallery job was in 1984, when she joined the Air Gallery.
She moved to the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in 1986, where she became the director of exhibitions.
She left the ICA in 1993 to work as an independent curator. During this period she was also commissioning editor for contemporary art at Phaidon Press, where she created the book series, Contemporary Artists Monographs and Themes and Movements. In 1997 she joined the Tate where she worked on the development of Tate Modern as the head of exhibitions and displays.
Blazwick, who became the director of the Whitechapel in 2002, was given an OBE in 2008.
Iwona Blazwick was born in 1955 in Blackheath in south-east London. She studied English and fine art at Exeter University before returning to London to work at a publisher of art books. Her first gallery job was in 1984, when she joined the Air Gallery.
She moved to the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in 1986, where she became the director of exhibitions.
She left the ICA in 1993 to work as an independent curator. During this period she was also commissioning editor for contemporary art at Phaidon Press, where she created the book series, Contemporary Artists Monographs and Themes and Movements. In 1997 she joined the Tate where she worked on the development of Tate Modern as the head of exhibitions and displays.
Blazwick, who became the director of the Whitechapel in 2002, was given an OBE in 2008.
Past directors
Iwona Blazwick follows a particularly influential group of Whitechapel directors. The first was Charles Aitken (1901-1911), who left to become director of the Tate Gallery where he worked for nearly 20 years. The path from the Whitechapel to the Tate was also taken by Nicholas Serota (1976-1988).
During his time at Whitechapel, Serota asked artists who had previously exhibited at the gallery to donate works for a charity auction in support of its activities.
Antony Gormley, Bruce Nauman, Gilbert and George and Gerhard Richter were among those who gave major works and the money raised allowed the Whitechapel to expand and enhance its facilities and create an endowment.
Perhaps the most influential Whitechapel director was Bryan Robertson (1952-1968), who was responsible for many of the firsts that the gallery is famous for.
These included the first major show in Britain of American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock in 1958 and the 1961?British premier of Mark Rothko. He also oversaw the staging of This is Tomorrow, a 1956 group show that has an almost mythological status in the history of British exhibition-making.
Blazwick took over as director of the Whitechapel from Catherine Lampert (1988-2002), who is now an independent curator, writer and associate lecturer at Camberwell, which is part of the University of the Arts London.
Iwona Blazwick follows a particularly influential group of Whitechapel directors. The first was Charles Aitken (1901-1911), who left to become director of the Tate Gallery where he worked for nearly 20 years. The path from the Whitechapel to the Tate was also taken by Nicholas Serota (1976-1988).
During his time at Whitechapel, Serota asked artists who had previously exhibited at the gallery to donate works for a charity auction in support of its activities.
Antony Gormley, Bruce Nauman, Gilbert and George and Gerhard Richter were among those who gave major works and the money raised allowed the Whitechapel to expand and enhance its facilities and create an endowment.
Perhaps the most influential Whitechapel director was Bryan Robertson (1952-1968), who was responsible for many of the firsts that the gallery is famous for.
These included the first major show in Britain of American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock in 1958 and the 1961?British premier of Mark Rothko. He also oversaw the staging of This is Tomorrow, a 1956 group show that has an almost mythological status in the history of British exhibition-making.
Blazwick took over as director of the Whitechapel from Catherine Lampert (1988-2002), who is now an independent curator, writer and associate lecturer at Camberwell, which is part of the University of the Arts London.