Helen Legg Named Artistic Director of London’s Royal Academy of Arts, Starting June 2026
London’s Royal Academy of Arts (RA) has appointed Helen Legg, the director of Tate Liverpool, as its next artistic director. Legg will begin in June 2026, taking responsibility for the RA’s exhibitions, collection, and public program — a remit that has long helped define the institution’s profile well beyond the UK.
Legg is among Britain’s most seasoned leaders in the regional museum sector. Since 2018, she has directed Tate Liverpool, where she has overseen a major capital redevelopment of the museum’s Grade I-listed building. The project is scheduled to culminate in a reopening in 2027.
Before joining Tate, Legg spent eight years as director of Spike Island in Bristol (2010–2018), the gallery and studio complex recognized for a program attentive to emerging and under-recognized artists. Earlier in her career, she worked as a curator at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, where she contributed to the development of Ikon Eastside, a second gallery and events space created in a former factory building in Digbeth, an area shaped by the city’s industrial past.
In a statement, Legg said she was “thrilled” by the appointment, emphasizing the RA’s distinctive structure and educational mission. “The RA is led by leading artists and architects, with the UK’s oldest — and, crucially, free — art school at its heart,” she said. Legg added that the chance to shape the RA’s artistic program in dialogue with its “extraordinary gallery spaces,” alongside the launch of an expanded Collection Gallery, was “tremendously exciting.”
Simon Wallis, the RA’s secretary and chief executive, described Legg as the “ideal” candidate, citing her reputation and experience. “She is highly respected in the art world and has a proven track record in delivering exceptional exhibitions,” he said.
Legg’s academic background includes a master’s degree in history of art from the University of St Andrews (1996) and a second master’s in curating and commissioning contemporary art from London’s Royal College of Art. Her wider art-world service includes roles on selection committees for British and Scottish representation at the Venice Biennale, and judging duties for major UK prizes and awards including the Turner Prize, the Contemporary Art Society’s Museums Award, and the Hepworth Prize for Sculpture.
The RA’s announcement also included two additional senior hires. Livia Evans, previously with the John Lewis Partnership, will join as commercial director. Lamia Dabboussy will become director of brand and audiences, arriving from the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
The leadership changes come at a sensitive moment for the Royal Academy, which differs from many major London institutions in that it does not receive direct government funding. Instead, it relies on a mix of ticket sales, donations, sponsorship, commercial activity, and its membership scheme. In recent years, the RA has faced financial pressures that have prompted proposals to make 60 redundancies — around 18% of its workforce.
Fundraising has become increasingly visible. On March 5, Sotheby’s held an auction of 10 works by Royal Academicians and honorary RAs, raising around £2.1 million for the institution.
Legg’s arrival in 2026 will place a leader with deep experience in ambitious capital projects and contemporary programming at the center of the RA’s next chapter — one likely to balance artistic ambition with the practical demands of sustaining a major independent institution.
