The Hayward is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank
of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings
(the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall/Purcell Room) and also the Royal National Theatre and British
Film Institute. Prior to a rebranding of the South Bank Centre to Southbank Centre in early 2007, the Hayward was
known as the Hayward Gallery.
The Hayward opened on 9 July 1968, and its powerful massing and extensive use of exposed concrete construction
makes it a good example of Brutalist architecture. It was designed, with the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room,
as an addition to the Southbank Centre arts complex by Hubert Bennett, head of the Department of Architecture and
Civic Design of the Greater London Council, with Jack Whittle and Geoffrey Horsefall. It is named after Sir Isaac
Hayward, a former leader of the London County Council, the GLC's predecessor.[1] Joanna Drew was the founding
Director. Ralph Rugoff is the current Director (as of mid 2006).