Wolfgang Tillmans, the German-born, London- and Berlin-based artist, has been appointed the chair of the board of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). The placement marks the London institution’s return to an artist-led board for the first time in more than three decades.
“Since my student days, the ICA has given me the opportunity to see pioneering art of varying media first-hand”, the artist says in a statement.
“I am proud to serve this important institution […] at a time when its importance as a progressive space for culture in the heart of London is becoming ever more important.”
Tillmans has served on the board of the ICA since 2017. He succeeds the Sudanese-British philanthropist Hadeel Ibrahim, who was appointed the chair of the board in 2018 and is relocating to Iceland to focus on climate justice.
Tillmans was the first non-British artist to receive the Turner Prize in 2000 and is also a Royal Academician. In 2017, he founded the Between Bridges Foundation, an organisation that aims to support LGBTQ+ rights, the arts and democracy.