First Woman Director of Tate Britain
May 2015, Tate Britain, London
b.1961
Tate Britain opened in 2000 and Penelope Curtis – 10 years later in 2010 – was made its first ever female director at the age of 49. A trailblazer in National Museums, Penelope oversaw a £45 million renovation of this world famous gallery. She was one of only three women to hold a top role within Tate senior personnel (including the Tate galleries at St Ives and Liverpool). She went on to become the first international appointment to Director of the prestigious Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Portugal.