Director of the V&A Museum in London Martin Roth has announced that he will be leaving the role after five years in the position. 

During his time at the museum, Martin Roth has overseen a number of critically successful exhibitions including David Bowie is and Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, helping to bring in a huge number of visitors – which in 2015 reached its highest level in its history.

Talking about the news Martin Roth said: “It’s been an enormous privilege and tremendously exciting to lead this great museum, with its outstanding staff and collections, and I’m proud to have steered it to new successes and a period of growth and expansion, including new partnerships around the UK and internationally. Our recent accolade as Art Fund Museum of the Year feels like the perfect moment to draw to a close my mission in London and hand over to a new director to take the V&A forward to an exciting future.”

Under his directorship, the Victoria and Albert Museum has also undergone a number of changes including the ambitious refurbishment of multiple galleries showcasing the V&A’s world-leading collections, including most recently the new Europe 1600-1815 galleries. He has also established the new Design, Architecture and Digital Department, and spearheaded new and socially responsive programming, from the Disobedient Objects exhibition to the current Engineering Season.

Nicholas Coleridge, Chairman of the Trustees of the V&A said: “Martin’s tenure as Director has been marked by a highly successful period of creativity, expansion and reorganisation of the V&A. He has made a significant contribution to the success of this museum, and the Trustees are immensely grateful for all that he has achieved here. We are now starting the process of looking for someone to take on the role and are fortunate to have an exceptional team in place to lead its activities and help build its future with the new Director.” 

Before joining the Victoria and Albert Museum, Martin Roth was Director General of the Dresden State Art Collections (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden), overseeing 12 museums and galleries. From 1996 to 2001 Martin Roth was a member of the senior management of the Expo 2000 in Hanover and Director of Thematic Exhibitions. He was President of the German Museums Association from 1995 to 2003, and a member of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Advisory Board in Berlin until his relocation to London in 2011.

The V&A’s Board of Trustees will now begin the search to find a new Director.