Damien Whitmore – Creative Director
On the landing of Damien Whitmore’s East London house, a small and inauspicious frame holds his Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres medals which were presented to him for services to French Culture in 2008. It’s a subtle reminder of the cultural impact that Whitmore’s had during his career in the art industry, which began in 1985.
“I remember London in the 1980s was really boring and depressing and grim and suddenly in the ‘90s it came to life creatively.” As did Whitmore who moved from his position Head of Development at the Design Museum to Communications Director at the Tate Gallery. The next challenge that he undertook was turning the stuffy slightly antiquated V&A (Victoria & Albert museum) into the powerhouse cultural destination it is today, “The thing I’m most proud of is the transformation of the V&A. I remember when I arrived there thinking actually I can’t do this. I’d come from this absolutely premier league division Tate to this run down, old, complicated V&A. But we did it and we broke the back of it and we made the V&A into this amazing place.”
@Damienwhitmore1
www.phillips.com
Photography by Samuel Bradley