Elena Foster

Chairman, Tate International Council

Lady Elena Ochoa (Dr. Elena Foster of Thames Bank) was born in Orense, Spain. For over twenty years, she held the position of Professor of Psychopathology at the Complutense University of Madrid, and until 2001 was Honorary Professor at King’s College, London. In the course of her academic career, she has been Hispanic/North Ameri­can Fulbright scholar at the University of California, and as Visiting Professor, conducted research at numerous universities in Europe as well as in the United States. In 1996, Lady Foster founded Ivorypress publishing house. She directed the C Photo Project, conceived to promote photography and contemporary art through publications, exhibitions and academic and institutional support (Ivorypress has organised the creation of a Chair of Contemporary Art at the University of Oxford, among its other sponsorships at different academic institutions). Along with the team at Ivorypress, she has curated international exhibitions, such as C on Cities, 10th Venice Biennale of Architecture (2006); NY C, Phillips de Pury, New York (2007); Blood on Paper, Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2008); Real Venice, 54th Venice Biennale (2011); Somerset House, London (2011). She serves as Member of the Board of Directors of the Mutual Art Trust and the Prix Pictet Photography Prize. Lady Foster was President of the Tate International Council and member of the Governing Board of the Tate Foundation between 2004 and 2008, as well as Trustee of the Isamu Noguchi Foundation. She serves as patron of diverse museums, foundations and international schools of contemporary art and photography.