MODERN Art Oxford has launched a memorial fund to honour the Pembroke Street gallery’s late director.

Michael Stanley was found dead in a garden of a house in Adelaide Street, Jericho, on Friday, September 21. He was 37.

Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

The gallery has now set up the Michael Stanley Fund for New Art in his memory to support the commissioning of new work of contemporary and emerging artists.

Modern Art Oxford chairman David Isaac said: “We are keen to ensure that the gallery honours Michael’s vision by creating projects – both inside and outside our walls – that the world will continue to notice.”

Mr Stanley, who became MAO director in 2009, developed a reputation for showcasing both neglected and established artists.

He was also a member of the Turner Prize 2012 jury.