Hayward Gallery

The Hayward is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall/Purcell Room) and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute. Prior to a rebranding of the South Bank Centre to Southbank Centre in early 2007, the Hayward was known as the Hayward Gallery.
The Hayward opened on 9 July 1968, and its powerful massing and extensive use of exposed concrete construction makes it a good example of Brutalist architecture. It was designed, with the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, as an addition to the Southbank Centre arts complex by Hubert Bennett, head of the Department of Architecture and Civic Design of the Greater London Council, with Jack Whittle and Geoffrey Horsefall. It is named after Sir Isaac Hayward, a former leader of the London County Council, the GLC's predecessor. Joanna Drew was the founding Director. Ralph Rugoff is the current Director (as of mid 2006). (...) more....