LONDON.- The board of the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation have announced the appointment of James Knox, previously managing director of The Art Newspaper as the Foundation’s new Director.

The Foundation was established in 2000 following the sale of Fleming bank by members of the family with the aim of “furthering understanding in Scottish art through exhibitions, education and publishing.” It owns one of the finest collections of Scottish art in private hands and runs the Fleming Gallery in, London, for staging museum quality exhibitions celebrating Scottish art and creativity.

Scottish born James Knox has been closely engaged in both the Scottish and international art scenes. For the last ten years, he has been managing director of The Art Newspaper, acknowledged as the bible of the international art world; while he has also served as a trustee on a number of boards including the National Galleries of Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland and the Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust.

“It is a huge honour” says Knox, “to become director of the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation which has long been the standard bearer for Scottish art outside Scotland. I greatly look forward to pursuing its goals of cultural diplomacy and realising the Foundation’s ambition to bring Scottish art to national and international audiences through a wide range of initiatives.”

Prior to The Art Newspaper, he ran his own arts consultancy commissioning works for public and private institutions including the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace, Oxford University and the Boots Company where he oversaw the creation of a 15 acre sculpture park on their factory site in Nottingham. He is also author of the biography of 1930’s aesthete, architectural campaigner and travel writer, Robert Byron, and of an illustrated life of cartoonist, artist and architectural satirist, Osbert Lancaster, which he accompanied with at exhibition at London’s Wallace Collection. His most recent book was on The Scottish Country House. He also has an MBA from the European business school INSEAD.

James Knox will be taking up his post in May. Rory Fleming, Chairman of the Management Committee said “… On behalf of all the Trustees, we are all delighted that James has accepted this appointment. The Foundation has great ambitions in coming years to play its role in building wider support for Scottish art and deepening understanding of our artistic heritage.”