Leading UK Museum Director Resigns

Sir Mark Jones, The Victoria & Albert Museum director, is leaving his job to become Master of St Cross College Oxford,the London museum made the announcement on Friday. The former director of the National Museums of Scotland was knighted in the 2010 New Year’s honours list for services to the arts and has been the director at the V&A since 2001. Mark Jones read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Worcester College, Oxford and gained an MA at the Courtauld Institute of Art. As a numismatist specialising in the study of medals, he joined the British Museum in 1974 as Assistant Keeper of Coins and Medals, and headed that department from 1990. V&A chairman, Paul Ruddock, said he had helped to make the V&A “the world’s leading museum of art and design”. Following in the footsteps of Dr Alan Borg, Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll and Sir Roy Strong, he added his own brand of creativity, to the Museum. He will take up his new role in Oxford, in September 2011. Jones stated that he had spent, “10 enormously enjoyable years at the V&A”, during which he worked with “an outstandingly talented team of staff”. Along with Sir Mark’s directorship, the museum underwent a £120 million refurbishment that saw it open a new wing of Medieval and Renaissance galleries. Visitor numbers, the gallery said, are now at the highest level in its 150-year history. Many crowd pleasing exhibitions such as The Art Deco and Modernism shows were mounted under the helm of his leadership.He was also instrumental in launching the project to build a branch of the V&A in Dundee.

 

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