Manager of National Gallery, London Research Centre shares insight with Randolph community

Alan Crookham

Alan Crookham, Research Centre manager at the National Gallery, London, will present the lecture, “The Turner Bequest at the National Gallery, London,” at Randolph Tuesday, September 18. His talk begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College.

Crookham’s lecture will explore the history of British painter J.M.W. Turner’s bequest, which was the largest-ever donation of works of art to the National Gallery, London. Crookham will discuss Turner’s will, how it was contested by his relatives before the Court of Chancery, and the resolution of the court case. In addition, he will provide perspective on the history of the display of the Turners at Trafalgar Square and the complicated relationship between the National and Tate Galleries as they sought to determine the final, and at times controversial, distribution of the bequest.

In addition to the public presentation, Crookham will give a guest lecture to a museum studies class.

As manager of the Gallery’s Research Centre, Crookham is responsible for the management of the library and archive collections and for the strategic development of both physical and digital access to these resources and augmentation of their use for research. He also works to support collaborative research activities both within the Gallery and with the broader academic community. He has previously carried out research and written on the history of the National Gallery, London from its foundation to the present day.

Randolph College is the only educational institution in the United States to hold a collaborative relationship with the National Gallery, London. Formed in February 2014, the partnership was designed to create enhanced learning opportunities for Randolph students, faculty, and staff. In addition to lectures by high-level staff members of the National Gallery, the collaboration includes a special internship program for Randolph students. The partnership also made possible the special exhibition, Venetian Visions: Selections from the National Gallery, London, which was on view at the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College from November 2015 through March 2016.