Andrew Nairne (born 1960, Guildford), is Director for Arts Strategy at the Arts Council England.[1]
Nairne graduated with an art history MA from the University of St Andrews in 1983. He was the Visual Arts Director at the Scottish Arts Council and for eight years he was the Exhibitions Director at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow. He has had positions at the Kettle's Yard Gallery in Cambridge and the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. Previously to his current post, he was Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts.
Andrew Nairne is the former Director of Modern Art Oxford,[2] a contemporary art gallery in Oxford, England. He joined in 2001, when he renamed the gallery from the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. Nairne coordinated enhancements to the museum building, and gave MOMA's substantial library of art books and catalogues to Oxford Brookes University. He shifted the focus to exhibitions of contemporary artists, who have included Tracey Emin and Stella Vine.
From 1998 to 2003, Nairne was a Board Member of the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney. He is currently Chair of the Visual Arts and Galleries Association (VAGA). He also is a Visiting Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford.
Andrew Nairne is the son of the former senior British civil servant, Sir Patrick Nairne. His twin brother, James Nairne, is Head of Art at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. His elder brother, Sandy Nairne, is the Director of the National Portrait Gallery in London.