Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery has announced that Rebecca Lyons will join as its new director on 1 September 2025. She takes over from Clare Gough, who joined Pitzhanger in 2016 as its founding director and left last month (April 2025) to become director of the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Ms Lyons joins Pitzhanger during a period of growth, as it continues to expand its cultural footprint and strengthen engagement with local communities in Ealing. With a background in the arts and heritage sectors, she will lead the gallery into its next chapter, enhancing its reputation for ambitious contemporary exhibitions set within the historic surroundings of Sir John Soane’s Grade I listed country retreat next to Walpole Park.
The gallery has recently enjoyed record-breaking visitor numbers and widespread critical acclaim. Highlights of the 2025 programme include Permindar Kaur: Mirror, Mirror and Prem Sahib: Doubles, opening on 26 June, followed by Howard Hodgkin: In a Public Garden in October.
Before joining Pitzhanger, Ms Lyons served as Director of Collections, Library, Archive, Learning and Public Programmes at the Royal Academy of Arts since 2019.
Howell James CBE, chair of the board, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Rebecca Lyons as the new director of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery. Rebecca’s passion for the arts, vision for cultural engagement, deep involvement in arts, heritage and senior leadership experience make her ideally placed to guide Pitzhanger into its next chapter.”
Ms Lyons said: “I am thrilled and honoured to take up the position of director at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery with its extraordinary blend of historic and architectural interest, high-quality contemporary exhibitions and committed learning and community programming, all in a beautiful setting.”
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