Culture Now: Justine Simons in conversation with Sandy Nairne

Join us for a lunchtime talk with Justine Simons, Head of Culture for the Mayor of London, and Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery.

Justine Simons leads on the development of Cultural Policy for London. This includes working across a broad spectrum of sectors including Contemporary Art, Public Realm, Creative Industries, Cultural Tourism, Film, Theatre, Dance and Music. Justine played a central role in the cultural programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is also the Director of the Fourth Plinth Programme in Trafalgar Square, one of the most high profile cultural projects supported by the Mayor of London. Justine is currently Vice Chair of the Thames Festival, Chair of the Big Dance Legacy Programme for 2012 and a member of the Platform for Art Steering Group, which is a London Underground public art commissioning programme.

Sandy Nairne CBE FSA is a museum director and writer. Previously working at the Tate Gallery, the Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford, he has served the last decade as the director of the National Portrait Gallery, London. In 1987, he wrote the book and documentary series State of the Art for Channel 4. He has curated and co-curated exhibitions which include British Sculpture in the 20th Century; Jeff Wall; The Impossible Self; American Realities and the first retrospective of Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs.