William Edward Gompertz (born 1965) is an English journalist, author and art critic. He was formerly the BBC's arts editor before moving to a position as the Barbican Centre's Artistic Director from 1 June 2021.

Family and education

Gompertz is the son of general practitioner Hugh Gompertz OBE and a second cousin of Simon Gompertz, at one time personal finance correspondent for BBC News. He is a relation of Benjamin, Isaac and Lewis Gompertz. He was born in Tenterden, Kent, and attended Dulwich Preparatory School, in Cranbrook, Kent and then Bedford School. He was expelled from school aged 16 and left with no A-levels. Gompertz married teacher Kate Anderson, daughter of Sir Eric Anderson, in 1993 and they have three sons and one daughter.

Career

Gompertz was previously director of Tate Media, and appeared in a show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009 called Double Art History. Gompertz has written extensively for The Guardian and The Times newspapers. He is the author of What Are You Looking At?: 150 Years of Modern Art in the Blink of an Eye and Think Like an Artist. It was announced, on 4 August 2023, that he would take over as Director of London's Sir John Soane's Museum from January 2024.