Will Gompertz, who is currently Artistic Director at the Barbican and will be familiar to many for his eleven years as Arts Editor at the BBC, will take up the post on 1 January 2024. This follows the announcement earlier this year by Dr Bruce Boucher, the Deborah Loeb Brice Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum, that he would retire at the end of 2023 after nearly eight years leading the Museum through a period of great success.
Will Gompertz - Image credit: Sam Churchill
The Museum attracted record visitor numbers in 2022/23. Will Gompertz said: “I am delighted to be joining Sir John Soane’s Museum at such an exciting time, following decades of restoration across the renowned architect’s extraordinary house and collection led by its brilliant conservators, curators, and previous directors. I look forward to championing the Museum and Soane’s vision, bringing audiences to our newly-restored home and taking Soane’s vision out into the world.”
Lord Sassoon, Chair of the Trustees of Sir John Soane’s Museum, commented: “Will Gompertz is one of today’s leading thinkers and communicators across the arts. Sir John Soane’s Museum is the finest monument in the world to the life, work and collections of a single creative genius, and Will is the person to build on Soane’s legacy. Under Will’s leadership, the Museum will become an even finer source of learning and inspiration for today’s world. We are indebted to Bruce Boucher for his leadership of the Soane to great success through the most challenging years and know that Will Gompertz will be a worthy successor.”