Mark Jones (museum director)

Sir Mark Ellis Powell Jones FSA FRSE (born 5 February 1951) is a British art historian, numismatist and museum director. He was Master of St Cross College, Oxford, from 2011-2016. Previously, from 2001 to 2011, he was director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.[1]

Sir Mark Jones
FSA FRSE
Black and white portrait of Jones
5th Master of St Cross College, Oxford
In office
September 2011 – September 2016
Preceded byAndrew Goudie
Succeeded byCarole Souter CBE
14th Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum
In office
May 2001 – September 2011
Preceded byAlan Borg
Succeeded byMartin Roth
Personal details
Born
Mark Ellis Powell Jones

(1951-02-05) 5 February 1951
SpouseCamilla Toulmin
Children4
EducationEton College
Alma materWorcester College, Oxford
Courtauld Institute of Art
AwardsFSA (1992)
FRSE (1999)
Knight Bachelor (2010)

Early life

Jones was born on 5 February 1951.[2] He is the son of John Ernest Powell-Jones (or Powell-Jones) and writer/historian, Ann Paludan, and grand nephew of actor Robert Newton. He was educated at Eton College, an all-boys public school in Eton, Berkshire.[2]

He studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Worcester College, Oxford.[3] He then undertook postgraduate studies in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art, graduating with a Master of Arts (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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6] Under his directorship, a number of renewal projects have been completed, including the Medieval and Renaissance galleries which opened in 2009.[7]

On 18 November 2010, it was announced that Jones had been elected as the next Master of St Cross College, Oxford; he took up the post in September 2011.[8] He retired from the post in September 2016, and was succeeded by Carole Souter.[9]

On 2 September 2023, it was announced that Jones had been named as Interim Director of the British Museum.[10]

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.

Personal life

He is married to Camilla Toulmin, the former director of the International Institute for Environment and Development. They have three children and Jones has a daughter from a previous marriage.

Honours
Insignia of a Knight Bachelor

References
  1. St Cross College, Oxford: New Master elected. Archived 13 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine 08 November 2016
  2. "Sir Mark Jones". People of Today. Debrett's. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  3. "Sir Mark Jones". St Cross College. University of Oxford. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  4. Reed, Marcia (1 December 1990). "FAKE?: THE ART OF DECEPTION. Mark Jones , Paul Craddock , Nicolas Barker". Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America. 9 (4): 215–216. doi:10.1086/adx.9.4.27948297. ISSN 0730-7187.
  5. Sudjic, Deyan (24 March 2002). "But where are the great Scots these days?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  6. "Museums set dates for free entry". BBC News. 1 May 2001. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  7. "Victoria and Albert Museum: Completed FuturePlan projects". Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  8. Sir Mark Jones elected Master of St Cross College Archived 23 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine University of Oxford, 18 November 2010.
  9. St Cross College Elects New Master, stx.ox.ac.uk. Accessed 27 January 2023.
  10. New British Museum interim boss revealed — and what he really thinks about the Elgin Marbles
  11. "Sir Mark E P Jones Kt FSA". Fellows Directory. Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  12. "RSE Fellows as at 13/10/2015" (PDF). Royal Society of Edinburgh. 13 October 2015. Archived from the original (pdf) on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  13. "No. 59282". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2009. p. 1.
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