It has been a fortnight of leaving parties as familiar faces move on and new faces replace them. One of the most touching was the double departure of Deyan Sudjic and Alice Black, the co-Directors of the Design Museum, who had the great benefit of being able, rather touchingly, to sing each other’s praises: so completely different in every aspect of their personalities, but so apparently complementary, respecting each other’s virtues and occasional weaknesses. It’s such a difficult thing to do to work as a double act and so admirable if it can be done successfully, as they moved the museum from Shad Thames when Tony Blair was still Prime Minister to the old Commonwealth Institute with Peter Mandelson as chairman.
Both have been excellent Directors, though you and Christopher Le Brun showed how two people can handle a comparable handover with grace and good humour.