Tate lands first female director

Dr Curtis studied Modern History at Oxford University

Tate Britain has appointed its first female director, Dr Penelope Curtis, curator of the Henry Moore Institute.

"I am delighted to be appointed director of Tate Britain which has a unique remit," said Dr Curtis, who takes up the role in April next year.

She replaces the founding director of Tate Britain, Dr Stephen Deuchar, who will become Director of the Art Fund.

Head director of all the Tate Galleries, Nicholas Serota, said he was "delighted" at the appointment.

St Ives

"Penelope Curtis has made an outstanding contribution to the study of sculpture," he added.

Dr Curtis joined Leeds Museums and Galleries in 1994 as head of the Henry Moore Centre for the study of sculpture.

She led the centre to become the Henry Moore Institute, where research became as important as the exhibitions.

Previously, she was the exhibitions curator at Tate Liverpool.

Susan Daniel-McElroy was the first woman to be a director of a Tate gallery - she was director at Tate St Ives in Cornwall but left in 2007.

Andrea Nixon is currently one of the directors of Tate Liverpool.