Whitechapel Gallery

Who we are

Whitechapel Gallery was founded in 1901 to present “the finest art of the world for the people of the East End, London”. Over one hundred and twenty years later, Whitechapel Gallery is renewing its founding mission under the directorship of Gilane Tawadros, recognising its radical and pioneering role as an art gallery in the heart of London’s East End and our global, diverse communities. Successive waves of migrants have shaped the distinctive character of the Whitechapel Gallery and its surrounding area. Generations of artists and makers have lived and worked in the area contributing to its creative vibrancy. We are proud to be a contemporary visual arts organisation that is locally embedded and globally connected.

In 1939, Pablo Picasso’s iconic painting, Guernica, made its first and only visit to Britain, and artist premiers are as diverse as Barbara Hepworth (1954) and Jackson Pollock (1958), Helio Oiticica (1969) and Gilbert & George (1971), Eva Hesse (1979), Frida Kahlo (1982) and Sonia Boyce (1988), Sophie Calle (2010) and Zarina Bhimji (2012), Emily Jacir (2015) and William Kentridge (2016), Theaster Gates (2021) and Nicole Eisenman (2023). Influential surveys include This is Tomorrow (1956), Liberty, Equality and Sisterhood (1978), From Two Worlds (1986), Woven Air (1988) Live in Your Head (2000), Back to Black (2005), Adventures of the Black Square (2015) and Electronic Superhighway (2016).

This is an exciting time to join Whitechapel Gallery as it moves into the next phase of its development. You will be part of a dynamic, dedicated and caring team committed to making contemporary art and ideas accessible to the broadest possible audience, putting artists and ideas at the centre of everything we do.

Whitechapel Gallery is a non-profit educational charity funded by Arts Council England and supported by trusts and foundations, individuals and organisations whose investments enable us to achieve our ambitions.