Meet Curator Ann Gallagher OBE

Ann Gallagher OBE is an independent curator working internationally, with extensive experience of curating and commissioning in various roles. From 2006-2019, she was Director of Collections, British Art, at Tate in London, where she led the team of curators responsible for building and researching Tate’s collection of British art, and was closely involved in establishing the collection of Latin American art.

Ann is Consultant Curator at the Goodwood Art Foundation, leading on the curatorial vision and, working closely with Director Richard Grindy and the specialist team, she is collaborating with internationally acclaimed artists and estates to select outstanding works of art, and to realise the Foundation’s vision for a compelling, dynamic and thoughtful approach to experiencing art in an outstanding natural environment.

We caught up with Ann on a recent visit to hear more about her plans:

Can you tell us about the Goodwood Art Foundation and what you’re going to be doing here?

So, the art programme that we have devised for the Foundation is based on an annual season. Every year, we’ll have a new exhibition by one artist in the main gallery. We’ll also have many different artists featured in the landscape and in the smaller gallery. These will change over time. We want visitors to be able to come to the Foundation and know that every year there'll be something new to see, but we also want there to be some key works that people will want to come and see again. So, it's a fascinating process of fixing certain focal points within the site and generating a sense of renewal every year as well.

What’s it been like to work with both indoor and outdoor spaces at the same time?

There are specific challenges associated with working outside and different ones for working inside, but to have the flexibility to do both is wonderful. Plus, there are so many different types of landscape at the Foundation that artists respond to in different ways. It means we can have a lot of variation and that for the visitors, we can make it a journey through nature, through the landscape with its fantastic natural features, to encounter amazing artworks in varied settings.

How are you working with Dan Pearson and his team on the project?

When we all began working on this concept, we spent a lot of time with Dan his team because it was essential to work on the position of the artworks alongside the plans for the landscape. We've had very interesting discussions about the way artists want to see their work positioned and how that affects his planting and vision for the environment here. It's been very important for the artists to know how the landscape is changing, what is being planted and what effect that will have. The selected artists have an affinity with nature and wanted to know all about the vision for the landscape so they can factor that into the selection of works and their location.

Can you tell us a little more about the artists who will feature in the first season?

Yes. Every year we'll have a headline artist who will have an exhibition in the main gallery. And for the first year that will be Rachel Whiteread, an artist with a considerable international reputation and a former Turner Prize winner. So, we'll have a great exhibition of her work inside the two very different spaces in the main gallery, with major works featured outside as well. In the landscape there will also be a work by Brazilian artist Hélio Oticica, a very influential figure who sadly died in his early forties. It will be the first major European outdoor installation by the artist. It's an extraordinary piece of work that we think will be very popular. There will be new works in the landscape by recent Turner Prize winner, Monserrat-born British artist Veronica Ryan, whose work often incorporates organic forms and materials, and is conscious of the specifics of the natural environment. She's made visits here and collected materials and references to inform her thinking. And the participation of more artists will be announced as we move towards the opening season, all working in very different ways.

Are there any other venues you’ve drawn inspiration from and how will this fit into the Goodwood Estate?

When we began talking about a new art foundation for Goodwood, we obviously did our research into other foundations that exist all over the world, particularly ones that had aspects that were relevant for what we want to achieve. One thing became clear and that was that this art foundation shouldn't only feature traditional sculpture. We want to have the freedom to be able to work with artists who use mediums that aren't necessarily associated with sculpture parks, to ensure we’re able to invite artists working in a variety of ways to exhibit both inside the galleries and in the landscape. We also wanted to be able to showcase those artists whose work has some connection with the history of the Goodwood Estate, which has had a long history of art going back many centuries, right up until the present day. That was also very important to us. Building on that legacy but also creating something new. We can’t wait for people to visit!

The Goodwood Art Foundation will open to the public in  May 2025. To be the first to find out the exciting plans we have in store, as well as ticketing information, and all the latest updates, please sign up to our newsletter.