Clare Lilley

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Clare Lilley
Alma mater University of Manchester (History of Art)
OccupationsArt curator; museum director
Employer Yorkshire Sculpture Park (–2025-07)
Known forDirector of Yorkshire Sculpture Park; Curator of Frieze Sculpture (2012–2022)
Board member ofGeorge Rickey Foundation; Jupiter Artland Foundation

Clare Lilley is a British art curator and most recently, director at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), where previously she held the post of director of programme. [1] [2] [3] In July 2025 she left the role at YSP. [4]

Contents

Biography

Lilley grew up in Merseyside, near Crosby Beach, where Antony Gormley's Another Place installation is now located. Coming from a family of engineers and scientists, she developed an early interest in art and frequently visited the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool during her teenage years. [5]

Lilley graduated with a degree in the history of art from the University of Manchester. [6] She began her career at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 1992, when the estate comprised approximately 15 acres. Under her tenure, the park expanded to 500 acres, hosting around 1,000 sculptures at any given time. [5]

From 2012 to 2022 she curated Frieze Sculpture [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] in London's Regents Park and she has curated William Turnbull for Chatsworth House, [12] Derbyshire and Jaume Plensa at San Giorgio Maggiore as Venice Biennale collateral event. [13]

Lilley is on the board of the George Rickey Foundation, New York, and the Jupiter Artland Foundation, Edinburgh. [14] She is the author of Vitamin C: Clay and Ceramic in Contemporary Art, published by Phaidon Press.

Lilley has three times been cited on the Artylst Alt Power List. [15] [16] [17]

References

  1. ↑ "Arts head: Clare Lilley, director of programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park". The Guardian . 27 February 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  2. ↑ Harris, Gareth (19 January 2022). "Clare Lilley is named Yorkshire Sculpture Park's director—only the second in its 45-year history". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Clare Lilley of Yorkshire Sculpture Park on breaking through stubborn career doors in the arts". Womanthology.co.uk. 22 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Clare Lilley steps down as Director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park". Yorkshire Sculpture Park. 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  5. 1 2 Nicholls, David (2016-02-11). "Art Insider: Clare Lilley". House & Garden. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  6. ↑ "Gemma Cairney to host new Sky Arts series Landmark". Sky Group. 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  7. ↑ "Frieze sculpture garden 2018 scatters 25 contemporary pieces in regent's park". Designboom.com. 14 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "See the Epic Sculptures Teasing Frieze London 2017". News.artnet.com. 4 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "Frieze Sculpture 2018: The highlights". Wallpaper.com. 4 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Clare Lilley, Marcus Miller and Oliver Wainwright, the Monocle Weekly 470 - Radio". Monocle.com.
  11. ↑ "See the Playful Sculptures on View at Frieze London's Sculpture Park, from an Enormous Braid to an Art Star's Sandwich". News.artnet.com. 5 October 2020.
  12. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn (10 June 2013). "William Turnbull's History Lesson". The New York Times .
  13. ↑ "Together. Jaume Plensa - Exhibition - Venice - Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore". Arte.it.
  14. ↑ "Louvre Abu Dhabi names international jury panel for Art Here 2023 and Richard Mille Art Prize". Abu Dhabi Media Office. 2023-08-04. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  15. ↑ "Alt Power 100 Artlyst 2024/2025 Art Of Our Time". Artlyst. 2025-10-21. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  16. ↑ "Alt Power 100 ArtLyst 2017 - Meet the Alternative Powerhouses". Artlyst.com.
  17. ↑ "Artlyst Power 100: 2014 Alternative Art Power List revealed". Artlyst.com.
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