Philip Long
Director
V&A Dundee
Philip Long is the director of V&A Dundee, and has been leading the project since 2011.
Born in Edinburgh, Philip Long initially trained as an artist and designer. He has worked in museums and galleries throughout a professional career of more than 20 years, and has contributed to the development of many other arts organisations and initiatives. Prior to being Director of V&A Dundee he was Senior Curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, where he specialised in historical and contemporary Scottish art and design.
As an acknowledged expert in Scottish art and design, Philip Long has organised numerous exhibitions and written highly praised publications and articles, including on Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Scottish Colourists, the architect Basil Spence, as well as on numerous contemporary artists and designers. From 2003-10 he served on the Scottish Arts Lottery Committee, and in 2007 was invited to curate Scotland’s national representation at the Venice Art Biennale.
He has also worked with the artist Antony Gormley to develop a major public artwork installed across Edinburgh, and with Charles Jencks on the Landform sculpture in front of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.
From 2008 to 2011 he was responsible for leading the National Galleries of Scotland’s Artist Rooms project, which in collaboration with Tate brings exhibitions of international contemporary art to museums and galleries across the UK. He was part of the selection panel for the British Pavilion at the Venice Archictecture Biennale for 2016 and 2018. He is an Honorary Professor of the University of Dundee and Honorary Research Fellow of St Andrews University.
Passionate about culture in Scotland, and about the impact creativity can have on people’s lives, he is proud to be responsible for the development of the first museum dedicated to design in Scotland.