Shirley Thomson

Dr. Shirley Lavinia Thomson (nee Cull), CC (born 1930) is a Canadian civil servant.

Born in St. Marys, Ontario, she received a B.A. in history in 1952 from the University of Western Ontario. In 1974 she received a M.A. in art history from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 1981 she received a Ph.D. in art history from McGill University.

From 1982 until 1985 she was Director of the McCord Museum in Montreal. From 1985 until 1987 she was Secretary-General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. From 1987 until 1997 she was Director of the National Gallery of Canada. From 1998 until 2002 she was Director of the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2003 she was appointed Chair of the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board.

[edit] Honours

In 1993 she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 2001.
In 2003 she was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa from Carleton University.
In 2005 she was awarded an Honorary Degree from University of British Columbia.