Kathleen Soriano

Last updated
Kathleen Soriano
Born (1963-07-18) 18 July 1963 (age 61)
London, England, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Leicester
Years active1989 – present
Known forEx-Director of Exhibitions - Royal Academy of Arts
TelevisionArtist of the Year
SpousePeter Greenhough
ChildrenMartha
Parents
  • Salvador Soriano (father)
  • Kathleen O'Neill (mother)

Kathleen Soriano (born 18 July 1963) is a British independent arts curator, writer and television broadcaster.

Contents

Background

Kathleen Soriano was born in 1963 in London to parents Salvador Soriano and Kathleen O'Neill. [1] She studied at the University of Leicester from 1982 until 1985 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts Honours in History of Art and English. In 1995 she married Peter Greenhough. [1]

Career

Her first major role in the arts was with the Royal Academy of Arts where she worked until 1989. [2] In 1989 she joined the National Portrait Gallery, London as its Head of Exhibitions and Collections. [2] She remained with the Gallery until 2006. [2]

In 2004, Soriano became a Clore Fellow at the Clore Leadership Programme during its inaugural year. The Clore Fellowship is a programme that aims to develop cultural leaders. [3] She carried out her secondment at the South Bank Centre with Michael Lynch and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. [3] [4]

In February 2006, she left the National Portrait Gallery and became the director at Compton Verney in Warwickshire. [4] In 2007, Soriano became one of three judges who selected 238 works from 1600 entries from across the West Midlands for the Birmingham Open Art Exhibition. [5]

In late 2008, she was appointed the new director of exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, replacing the retiring Sir Norman Rosenthal who had held the post for 31 years. [6] This was a new position replacing the former Exhibitions Secretary post. [7] She took up the role in January 2009. During her time at the Royal Academy of Arts she developed exhibitions such as Bronze, David Hockney, Van Gogh, and Degas. [2] In 2013, she curated the exhibition Australia at the Royal Academy. [8] It featured both Aboriginal heritage and Australian art covering 200 years. [8] She left the Royal Academy in 2014 and was replaced by Tim Marlow. [9]

In 2013, Soriano joined the television show Sky Arts Artist of the Year as one of the three expert judges. [10] She is continuing in this the role in the 2023 series, alongside Kate Bryan and Tai-Shan Schierenberg. [11]

From April 2014, Soriano began working independently as an art curator and on other cultural projects. [2] She was one of five judges of the Place Prize for Choreography in 2008 when Adam Linder won the main prize. [12]

In October 2016, Soriano was appointed as the chair of the board of trustees for the Liverpool Biennial, replacing Paula Ridley. [13]

During January 2018, she curated the London Art Fair's 30th Anniversary - Art of the Nation: Five Artists Choose. [14] In early 2019, she curated an exhibition of the works of Harald Sohlberg for the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the first exhibition of his works in the UK. [15]

Soriano was appointed chair of the Art UK charity in December 2022, replacing Charles Gregson. [16]

Publications

Filmography

Films

Television

References

  1. 1 2 "Soriano, Kathleen, (Born 18 July 1963), Director of Exhibitions, Royal Academy of Arts, 2009–14; Director, Kathleen Soriano LTD, since 2014". Soriano, Kathleen. December 2009. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U249933. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2016.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kathleen Soriano". Leading Culture Destinations Awards. 5 May 2018. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Clore Fellows". The Clore Leadership Programme. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Kathleen Soriano in Conversation". Ocula. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  5. ↑ BBC. "Open exhibition creates artistic free for all". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Bates, Stephen (17 July 2008). "People". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  7. ↑ Bloom, Julie (17 July 2008). "Museum Notes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  8. 1 2 "200 years of Australian art on show in London". sg.news.yahoo.com. AFP Relax. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ↑ Brown, Mark (5 March 2014). "Royal Academy puts Tim Marlow in charge of exhibitions". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  10. ↑ "Do you have what it takes to become Sky Arts Artist of the Year?". Sky Arts. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Rowat, Alison (7 January 2023). "US and the Holocaust; Landscape Artist of the Year; Search Party". Glasgow Herald . Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  12. ↑ Roy, Sanjoy (1 October 2008). "Dance world divided over Place prize decision". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  13. ↑ "Liverpool Biennial Announces New Chair of its Board". Liverpool Biennial. Archived from the original on 30 January 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "London Art Fair 2018 Marks 30th Anniversary With Milestone Curated Exhibition". Artlyst. 19 November 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  15. ↑ "Harald Sohlberg: Curator's Introduction with Kathleen Soriano". www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  16. ↑ "Art UK welcomes new Chair". Arts Professional. 1 December 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
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