Nottingham Contemporary founder Alex Farquharson has been named new director of London’s Tate Britain, replacing the outgoing Penelope Curtis at the helm of one of the UK’s most important art galleries.

With Farquharson operating as director, Nottingham Contemporary has welcomed more than a million visitors in its first five years of operation. Penelope Curtis parted ways with Tate Britain to take up a new role at Lisbon’s Gulbenkian museum – which houses a collection of ancient and modern art in Portugal’s capital.

"Alex Farquharson has established Nottingham Contemporary as one of the leading art galleries in the UK," said Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota. “He has created a programme that serves local and national audiences, working closely with artists and reflecting history as well as the present."

During Curtis’ tenure – which began in 2010 and included the £45m redevelopment of the London gallery, as well as a rehang of the entire collection – notable art critics criticised the gallery, saying some of her exhibitions were unsuccessful and “only appealed to the minority.” Over that time period, visitor numbers fell 10 per cent in 2013 to 1.38 million and even further in 2014, with figures falling to 1.36 million – 20th place in a table of UK attractions.