Victoria Siddall
{{Short description|British art dealer and activist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date= August 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Victoria Siddall
| image = Victoria Siddall on Salone del Mobile Milano.jpg
| caption = Siddall in 2022
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|36|2014|10|14}}
| birth_place = Northern Ireland, UK
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = University of Bristol
| occupation = Gallerist
| known for =
| title = Director, National Portrait Gallery
| term = 2024–
| predecessor = Nicholas Cullinan
| successor =
| boards =
| spouse =
| partner = François Chantala
| children = 1
| parents =
| relatives =
| website =
}}
Victoria Siddall (born 1977) is a British gallerist, and the director of the National Portrait Gallery in London. She was appointed in August 2024.{{cite news |last1=Bakare |first1=Lanre |title=Victoria Siddall becomes National Portrait Gallery's first female director |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/aug/28/victoria-siddall-national-portrait-gallery-first-female-director |access-date=28 August 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=28 August 2024}} She was inaugural director of the Frieze Masters art fair, and a co-founder of environmental campaign groups the Gallery Climate Coalition and Murmur.{{Cite web |last=Malvern |first=Jack |date=30 August 2024 |title=National Portrait Gallery's new boss wants to cut fossil fuel ties |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/arts/article/national-portrait-gallerys-new-boss-is-an-anti-fossil-fuels-activist-0g9jbpbrd |access-date=30 August 2024 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829065619/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/arts/article/national-portrait-gallerys-new-boss-is-an-anti-fossil-fuels-activist-0g9jbpbrd |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=19 June 2024 |title=Victoria Siddall on why the arts need to step up to battle climate change |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/bazaar-art/a61114714/victoria-siddall-murmur-climate-change/ |access-date=30 August 2024 |magazine=Harper's BAZAAR |language=en-GB}}
Early life
Siddall was born in Northern Ireland, and as her father was in the army, the family lived in several countries.{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Nick |title=Victoria Siddall interview: Meet the new kid on the block at Frieze art fairs |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/victoria-siddall-interview-meet-the-new-kid-on-the-block-at-frieze-art-fairs-9787161.html |access-date=29 August 2024 |work=The Independent |date=10 October 2014}} She was educated at boarding school from the age of 8.
Siddall earned a bachelor's degree in English and philosophy from the University of Bristol.{{cite news |last1=Acharya |first1=Dipal |title=My London: Victoria Siddall |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/my-london-victoria-siddall-a3951691.html |access-date=29 August 2024 |work=Evening Standard |date=4 October 2018}}
Career
After university, Siddall worked for British auction house Christie's for over three years. In 2004, she joined London's Frieze Art Fair, and in 2012 was the founding director of Frieze Masters art fair, before becoming Global Director, overseeing all of Frieze's art fair operations, in London and New York, from 2014, and launching Frieze Seoul in 2022.{{cite news |last1=Guiducci |first1=Mark |title=Meet Victoria Siddall, the Wunderkind Director of Frieze and Frieze Masters |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/victoria-siddall-director-frieze-masters |access-date=29 August 2024 |work=Vogue |date=14 October 2014 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829091534/https://www.vogue.com/article/victoria-siddall-director-frieze-masters |url-status=live }}
She joined the trustee board of Studio Voltaire, London, in 2012, and served as chair of the board of trustees between 2012 and 2024.
In August 2024 she was appointed the thirteenth director of London's National Portrait Gallery,{{Cite web |date=28 August 2024 |title=Victoria Siddall appointed new director of the National Portrait Gallery |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/assets/uploads/files/press/2024/News-release_Victoria-Siddall-appointed-new-Director-of-the-National-Portrait-Gallery-final.pdf |website=National Portrait Gallery}} the first woman to be appointed to the role in the gallery's 168-year history.{{Cite web |last=Dunne |first=John |date=29 August 2024 |title=Victoria Siddall appointed National Portrait Gallery's first female boss |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/victoria-siddall-national-portrait-gallery-first-female-director-b1178957.html |access-date=30 August 2024 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}} She had been a trustee from July 2023 to August 2024. She took up her post in late 2024,{{cite web |title=National Portrait Gallery |url=https://x.com/NPGLondon/status/1828723227138363590 |access-date=30 August 2024 |archive-date=29 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829115537/https://x.com/NPGLondon/status/1828723227138363590 |url-status=live }} succeeding interim director Michael Elliott, who was appointed after Nicholas Cullinan left in June to become director of the British Museum.
Environmental campaigning
In October 2020, Siddall co-founded the Gallery Climate Coalition. In 2024, Siddall co-founded the green campaign group Murmur, that encourages arts and music organisations to reduce their carbon footprint and 'cut ties' with fossil fuel companies.
With Thomas Dane and Christie's, Siddall launched Artists for ClientEarth in 2021 which raised over $6.5 million for the environmental charity through donations of works by artists like Cecily Brown, Rashid Johnson, Xie Nanxing, and Beatriz Milhazes.{{Cite web |last=Article |first=Margaret Carrigan ShareShare This |date=28 August 2024 |title=Victoria Siddall Named New Director of London's National Portrait Gallery |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/victoria-siddall-national-portrait-gallery-2528784 |access-date=30 August 2024 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}}
Personal life
Siddall lives in Lambeth in South London, with her long-term partner François Chantala and their daughter. They met in 2000 while they were both working at Christie's.{{cite news |last1=Roux |first1=Caroline |title=The Fairest of Them All |url=https://www.wmagazine.com/story/francois-chantala-and-victoria-siddall |access-date=29 August 2024 |work=W magazine |date=12 May 2015 |archive-date=2 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702144649/https://www.wmagazine.com/story/francois-chantala-and-victoria-siddall |url-status=live }} Chantala is a gallerist from Limoges, France, and a director at Thomas Dane in London.
References
{{reflist}}
{{National Portrait Gallery directors}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siddall, Victoria}}
Category:Directors of the National Portrait Gallery, London
Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol
Category:21st-century women from Northern Ireland
Category:21st-century people from Northern Ireland
Category:Environmentalists from Northern Ireland