Jessica Morgan Returns to Tate as Director

Jessica Morgan has been lured back to London from New York’s Dia Art Foundation, to take the helm of the Tate in January, the institution where she was a leading curator for several years.

The appointment was approved by the now former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in one of his final official duties.

She is taking a substantial cut in salary to return to London. As director of Dia she was paid more than $700,000 a year, according to the foundation's latest tax filings, while the Tate's former director, Maria Balshaw, is reported to have been paid around $300,000, so a potential 42% reduction in renumeration.

Morgan previously worked at Tate Modern as curator of international art and was a Tate curator from 2002 to 2010. She will now oversee its two London museums and outposts in Liverpool and St Ives, as well as its burgeoning international partnerships, not least in China.

Morgan has been director of Dia since 2015, overseeing major site-specific installations and leading its fundraising efforts. Her contacts with leading artists and donors will be put to good use in London. But despite the arrival this week of arts-friendly Andy Burnham in Downing Street from Manchester, where he served as mayor, a significant increase in the Tate’s grant from the Treasury is unlikely.