Helen Hillyard
Helen Hillyard | |
|---|---|
| Education | University of Cambridge Courtauld Institute of Art |
| Occupations | Curator, art historian |
| Employer | Dulwich Picture Gallery |
| Known for | Curatorial and scholarly work on seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish art |
| Title | Head of Collection |
Helen Hillyard is a British curator and art historian specialising in seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish art.[1] She is Head of Collection at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London.[2][3]
Hillyard is known for her curatorial and scholarly work on seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish art through her research and exhibitions.[4]
Education
[edit]Hillyard studied History of art at the University of Cambridge and later completed postgraduate study at the Courtauld Institute of Art, where she wrote a thesis on the display of contemporary art in historic contexts.[5][3]
Career
[edit]After her studies, Hillyard joined the National Gallery in London as a curatorial trainee in the 2013–14 National Gallery Curatorial Traineeship Programme.[6] Through that scheme, she also worked on a project at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where she helped rehang the Baroque galleries.[3]
Dulwich Picture Gallery
[edit]Hillyard joined the Dulwich Picture Gallery in 2015 as Assistant Curator.[7] She became Acting Curator in April 2021 and was appointed Curator later that year.[7] In 2020, she contributed to the complete re-presentation of the gallery's collection, described as its most ambitious rehang since 2013.[7][8]
Her curatorial work has focused on Dutch and Flemish Old Master painting, storytelling in museum display, and developing ways of making historic collections relevant and accessible to contemporary audiences.[3][9][10]
At Dulwich, she has described her curation as a form of mediation between the past and the present, inviting new public engagement with the collection.[3]
In 2024 she became Head of Collection.[3]
Exhibitions
[edit]Hillyard co-curated the exhibition Rembrandt's Light (2019–2020) with Jennifer Scott and contributed to its accompanying catalogue.[5][11] In 2025, she curated Anna Ancher: Painting Light, which was the first major UK exhibition dedicated to the Danish painter Anna Ancher.[12][13]
Publications
[edit]- Scott, Jennifer; Hillyard, Helen (2019). Rembrandt's Light. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 9781781300923.
- Hillyard, Helen; Scott, Jennifer (2024). Unlocking Paintings. Dulwich Picture Gallery. ISBN 9781898519515.
References
[edit]- ^ Hillyard, Helen. "Guest Editor: Helen Hillyard". London Architecture Diary. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "Art and Age in Dulwich Picture Gallery's Collection". Dulwich Picture Gallery. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "Helen Hillyard". CODART. December 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ CBC Radio (2016-07-08). "Pair of 'exquisite' 17th century Dutch paintings reunited after nearly four centuries". Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ a b "Helen Hillyard". British Art Network. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "National Gallery Curatorial Traineeships 2013-14". National Gallery. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "Helen Hillyard Appointed as New Curator of Dulwich Picture Gallery". CODART. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "Helen Hillyard". For Art's Sake. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "Jennifer Scott shares Dulwich Picture Gallery's plans". The Wick. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "Conversation 3 — Dulwich Picture Gallery — Soane in The Colour Palace". Apple Podcasts (Podcast). 27 July 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ Scott, Jennifer; Hillyard, Helen (2019). Rembrandt's Light. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 9781781300923.
- ^ "Dulwich Picture Gallery announces 2025 exhibition programme with solo shows by three remarkable female artists". Dulwich Picture Gallery. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "Anna Ancher: Painting Light". Dulwich Picture Gallery. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
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