Tate's Nicholas Serota succeeds Peter Bazalgette as Arts Council chair

Tate director Nicholas Serota has been appointed new chair of Arts Council England.

He will replace Peter Bazalgette, who announced in January that he would step down as chairman after his four-year term came to an end.

Serota has lead the Tate’s group of art galleries since 1988, but will now step down as director to focus on his new part-time job at ACE.

He said: “This is an enormous honour, given the 70-year history of the council, its success in recent years and the crucial role that it plays in promoting art and culture in this country.”

ACE chief executive Darren Henley hailed Serota as “a visionary arts leader of immense national and international standing”, and claimed his cultural credentials “are second to none”.

He continued: “I’m thrilled that we will now benefit from his insight and expertise at Arts Council England.”

Paying tribute to his predecessor’s work, Henley went on: “Our excitement at Nick’s arrival is only tempered by sadness at Baz’s departure. We owe him a great debt of gratitude for his truly outstanding leadership and his intelligent championing of public investment in arts and culture over the past four years.

“In both our outgoing and incoming chairs, we couldn’t have wished for better appointments.”

Serota was appointed by culture secretary Karen Bradley, who said he had “transformed” the Tate during his time there and made it “one of the leading art institutions in the world”.

“He brings unparalleled experience, creativity and wisdom and will continue to be an enthusiastic champion of the arts in his new role,” she added.

Culture minister Matt Hancock also welcomed the choice of Serota, saying he would “build on the excellent work of Sir Peter Bazalgette in increasing diversity and access to arts and culture across the country”.

Tate chairman John Browne said the organisation had been “privileged” to have Serota lead it, and described him as “one of the world’s greatest museum directors and a leader for the visual arts on a global stage”.

He will succeed Bazalgette as chair on February 1, 2017.