Jenny Waldman announced as Art Fund director

The former head of the world war one centenary programme has been appointed as director of the Art Fund.

Jenny Waldman, who led 14-18 NOW, the official arts programme to commemorate the first world war, will join the national art charity in April. 

She replaces Stephen Deuchar, who is stepping down after a decade in the role. The Art Fund is a key supporter of the UK’s museum and arts sector, running a range of funding programmes for curatorial work, loans and acquisitions, as well as managing the annual £100,000 Museum of the Year prize.

Waldman was previously the creative producer of the London 2012 Festival, the finale of the Cultural Olympiad programme that preceded the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Between 1999 and 2001, she was the public programmes consultant at Somerset House Trust, where she created the site’s winter ice rink and its outdoor concert and film seasons. 

Waldman has also worked on large-scale performance art events at Tate Modern and Tate Britain. She is the chair of trustees at the art charity Artangel, and sits on the Barbican Centre’s board. She was awarded a CBE in 2017.

Art Fund chair Chris Smith said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Jenny will lead Art Fund into its next phase of development. She joins a thriving organisation with an expanding membership and ever-increasing influence in the UK arts and museums sector. Her experience of working with artists and museums, and her outstanding track record at a national level, will be invaluable as we take on the challenges of the future.”

Waldman said: "It’s a great honour and very exciting to join Art Fund at this point in its 117-year history. Art Fund plays a crucial role in supporting museums and galleries across the UK and the opportunity to build on the impressive work that Stephen Deuchar and his team have done over the past decade is inspiring."