Betty Churcher

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Betty Churcher (born 11 July 1931 in Brisbane, Queensland) is best known as director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997. She was also a painter in her own right earlier in her life. She won a travelling scholarship to Europe and attended the London Royal College of Art receiving an ARCA in 1956. She received an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London in 1977.

Between 1972 and 1975 she was art critic for the Australian newspaper. She was the Dean of School of Art and Design, Phillip Institute of Technology, Victoria between 1982 and 1990, and director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia from 1987 to 1990. She was then appointed director of the Australian National Gallery. She has hosted several television shows in the 1990s and written several books, including The Art of War about war artists.

Her son, Peter Churcher, was Australia's official war artist in the War on Terrorism.

While director of the National Gallery, she was dubbed "Betty Blockbuster" because of her love of blockbuster exhibitions.

Churcher initiated the building of new galleries on the eastern side of the building, opened in March 1998, to house large-scale temporary exhibitions. She changed the name of the Gallery from the Australian National Gallery to its current title. She also changed the name of the Gallery from the Australian National Gallery to its current title.

During her period the Gallery also purchased Golden Summer, Eaglemont by Arthur Streeton for $3.5 million. This was the last great Heidelberg School still in private hands.^[1]

[edit] Publications

Churcher has written a number of books on art including:

Churcher, Betty (1973). Understanding Art. Adelaide: Rigby, 152. ISBN 0-85179-699-0.
Churcher, Betty (2005). The Art of War. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 176. ISBN 0-522-85099-5.

[edit] External links

Biography

[edit] Notes

^ Green, Pauleen (ed) (2003). Building the Collection. National Gallery of Australia, 174. ISBN 0-642-54202-3.

Persondata
NAME	Churcher, Betty
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Australian art gallery director
DATE OF BIRTH	11 July 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
DATE OF DEATH	living person
PLACE OF DEATH