The Hayward Gallery opened on 9 July 1968 and takes its name from Sir Isaac Hayward, a former leader of the London County Council. Norman Engleback led the design team, assisted by John Attenborough, Ron Herron and Warren Chalk, with later work by Alan Waterhouse and Dennis Crompton.
Its massing and exposed concrete mark it as a Brutalist building. Some sixty steel and glass pyramids sit on the roof.
Light from above
The gallery closed in September 2015 for a refurbishment by Feilden Clegg Bradley, which renewed the roof pyramids and removed a false ceiling. It reopened in early 2018.
Programme
The Hayward has no permanent collection. It mounts three or four major temporary exhibitions a year and is the base of Arts Council England’s National Touring Exhibitions programme.
Ralph Rugoff directed the gallery for twenty years. His final exhibition, an exhibition of Anish Kapoor’s work, ran from 16 June to 18 October 2026. Sally Tallant, previously director of the Queens Museum in New York, took over in July 2026.
Nan Goldin: You Never Did Anything Wrong opens on 24 November 2026 and runs until 14 March 2027.
Location: South Bank, London, United Kingdom
Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, United Kingdom
Website: southbankcentre.co.uk
Instagram: @southbankcentre
