The British Museum has poached the head of the National Portrait Gallery to navigate it through one of the trickiest spells in its history.
Nicholas Cullinan was unveiled on Thursday as the new director of the institution, which is preparing for a multimillion-pound redevelopment as well as dealing with protests over its fossil fuel sponsorship agreements and coping with the fallout from the theft of hundreds of items from its collection.
Cullinan, who has been at the NPG since 2015, had been seen as a favourite for the post, which is regarded as the most important in the British museum world.
Cullinan, 46, said he looked forward to leading the museum “into a new chapter”, adding: “This will encompass the most significant transformations, both architectural
