Richard Dorment is retiring as chief art critic of the UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph after almost 30 years in the post. He wrote his first review, covering an exhibition of new prints by David Hockney, on 11 December 1986. Ruminating on his experiences and encounters over the years, he points out how attitudes towards contemporary art have changed in the past two decades. “I will always be grateful to those editors for allowing me to write what I wanted. Because of their forbearance, Telegraph coverage of the visual arts in the years leading up to the opening of Tate Modern in 2000 reflected the profound cultural changes taking place in Britain in these years,” he wrote last week. He praises Nicholas Serota, the Tate director, Julia Peyton-Jones, the co-director of London’s Serpentine Galleries, and James Lingwood, the co-director of Artangel, the public art organisation. Dorment’s replacement is due to be announced.
