Director of Tate Britain and Volunteer Guide at Tate both recognised in King’s Birthday Honours

Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain, and Mary Maidment, a volunteer at Tate for 45 years, have both been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List. Alex was awarded an OBE and Mary was awarded a BEM.

Alex Farquharson has led Tate Britain since 2015, overseeing its programme of displays, exhibitions, commissions and events. He implemented the comprehensive rehang of the gallery in 2023, presenting a more expansive story of British art and leading to a 20% increase in visitor figures. Many of Tate Britain’s most successful ever exhibitions have taken place under his leadership, including David Hockney in 2017 and Van Gogh and Britain in 2019, and he co-curated the acclaimed exhibition Life Between Islands: Caribbean British Art, 1950s–Now alongside David A Bailey. Alex also chairs the Turner Prize jury and co-chairs the British Art Network, a community of art researchers and specialists.

Mary Maidment spent 45 years as a volunteer at Tate, working in the galleries from 1975 to 2020. She is Tate’s longest-serving volunteer guide. In that time she delivered over 1,000 tours at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, alongside giving lunchtime lectures and volunteering on the information desk. Mary also worked at the Foundling Museum in Brunswick Square. She received her BEM for services to heritage.

Maria Balshaw, Director of Tate, said: “Alex has led Tate Britian from strength to strength, as well as playing an important leadership role in British art that reaches far beyond the gallery. I know he would want to join me in saying that this honour should also be seen as a celebration of the work of everyone connected with Tate Britain, and that includes our fantastic volunteer guides. Mary is a shining example of the invaluable role that volunteers play in the cultural sector. It is wonderful to see her enthusiasm, knowledge and care for visitors also getting the recognition it deserves.”

About Tate Britain

Tate Britain is home to the world’s greatest collection of British art. The gallery’s free displays feature over 800 works by over 350 artists, telling an expansive and diverse story which spans from the 1500s to the present day. Tate Britain welcomes over a million visitors each year to its ever-changing programme of exhibitions, commissions and events. It celebrates key figures in art history and provides a vital platform for the best artists working in Britain today, including through the Turner Prize, Art Now, and the Tate Britain Commission. tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain