Mark Jones (museum director)

Sir Mark Jones FSA FRSE

Sir Mark Ellis Powell Jones (born 5 February 1951)^[1] is a British art historian, numismatist and museum director. He is the current Master of Saint Cross College, Oxford. Previously, from 2001 to 2011, he was director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.^[2]

Insignia of a Knight Bachelor

Personal

Jones is the son of writer and historian, Ann Paludan. He read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Worcester College, Oxford, before further studies in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art, graduating with an MA degree.

Career

Jones spent 18 years in the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum, where he curated the acclaimed exhibition FAKE? The Art of Deception. In 1992 he was appointed director of the National Museums of Scotland, and here he gained a high reputation. He oversaw the creation in 1998 of the Museum of Scotland, which went on to win 22 prizes for its displays and a Stirling Prize nomination for its building.

In May 2001 Jones became director of the Victoria and Albert Museum. On his first day as director, he announced the scrapping of entry charges to the museum.^[3] Under his directorship a number of renewal projects have been completed, including the Medieval and Renaissance galleries which opened in 2009.^[4]

Jones is Chairman of the National Museum Directors’ Conference, a trustee of the National Trust, the Gilbert Collection, and the Pilgrim Trust, a member of the Court and Council of the Royal College of Art, Vice President of the British Art Medal Society and the Kensington & Chelsea Decorative & Fine Arts Society, and a patron of the Embroiderers' Guild and the Heritage Crafts Association.

Jones was knighted in the 2010 New Year Honours "for services to the Arts".^[5]

References

External links

• Mark Jones, Director — Victoria and Albert Museum at the Wayback Machine (archived May 25, 2011). Accessed 25 May 2011

Heads of Houses of the University of Oxford Colleges All Souls: John Vickers Balliol: Drummond Bone Brasenose: Alan Bowman Christ Church: Martyn Percy Corpus Christi: Richard Carwardine Exeter: Frances Cairncross Green Templeton: Denise Lievesley Harris Manchester: Ralph Waller Hertford: Will Hutton Jesus: The Rt Hon Lord Krebs Keble: Sir Jonathan Phillips Kellogg: Jonathan Michie Lady Margaret Hall: Frances Lannon Linacre: Nick Brown Lincoln: Henry Woudhuysen Magdalen: David Clary Mansfield: The Rt Hon Baroness Kennedy Merton: Sir Martin J. Taylor New College: Curtis Price Nuffield: Andrew Dilnot Oriel: Moira Wallace Pembroke: Dame Lynne Brindley Queen's: Paul Madden St Anne's: Tim Gardam St Antony's: Margaret MacMillan St Catherine's: Roger Ainsworth St Cross: Mark Jones St Edmund Hall: Keith Gull St Hilda's: Sheila Forbes St Hugh's: Elish Angiolini St John's: Maggie Snowling St Peter's: Mark Damazer Somerville: Alice Prochaska Trinity: Sir Ivor Roberts University: Sir Ivor Crewe Wadham: The Rt Hon Lord Macdonald of River Glaven QC Wolfson: Hermione Lee Worcester: Jonathan Bate Permanent Private Halls Blackfriars: Simon Gaine Campion Hall: Brendan Callaghan Regent's Park College: Robert Ellis St Benet's Hall: Werner Jeanrond St Stephen's House: Robin Ward Wycliffe Hall: Michael Lloyd Recognised Independent Centres Buddhist Studies: Richard Gombrich Energy Studies: Christopher Allsopp Hebrew and Jewish Studies: David Ariel Hindu Studies: Shaunaka Rishi Das Islamic Studies: Farhan Nizami University of Oxford portal