Sam Thorne

Sam Thorne is a British curator, writer and arts administrator whose work connects exhibitions, art education and cultural exchange. He was associate editor of Frieze, artistic director of Tate St Ives and director of Nottingham Contemporary before becoming director general and chief executive of Japan House London in 2022.

His curatorial projects have included exhibitions with Paul Chan, Lara Favaretto and Wu Tsang, alongside thematic programmes exploring subjects such as ceramics and spiritualism. He co-founded Open School East, a free art school, and wrote School in 2017, extending his interest in how artists learn and organise outside conventional institutions.