Imperial War Museum Appoints New Director-General
Sir Robert Crawford CBE will retire as Director-General of the Imperial War Museum on 30 September 2008, a position he has held since 1995.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, is pleased to announce that the Prime Minister has approved the appointment of Diane Lees, currently Director of the Victoria and Albert’s Museum of Childhood, as the new Director-General of the Imperial War Museum. Diane Lees will take up her appointment in October 2008 with overall responsibility for the Museum’s five branches and collections archives.
Sir Peter Squire said: “Sir Robert Crawford’s contribution to the Imperial War Museum spans nearly 40 years, during which time he has played a pivotal role in making the Museum what it is today. The Museum’s Board of Trustees and staff are extremely grateful to Sir Robert for his outstanding contribution and welcomes Diane Lees as the new Director General from October 2008.
Diane Lees joins the Museum at an exciting time as it marks the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War and reflects on its original purpose as a ‘a lasting memorial of common effort and common sacrifice’ to those who played their part in the First World War, a remit which has subsequently expanded to cover all aspects of Commonwealth conflict up to the present day. Looking to the future, the Museum will continue to review and redefine its purpose to ensure its place as the World’s premiere museum of modern conflict that enriches people’s understanding of the causes, course and consequences of modern war and its impact on individuals and society.”
Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said: "Diane Lees has done an amazing job at the Museum of Childhood. I sure she will be excellent in leading the Imperial War Museum in its exciting next phase of development and I'm delighted to see another woman join the ranks of the leaders in the museums sector. I wish her all the best as our newest national museum director."
Diane Lees said: “I am delighted to have been asked by the Board of Trustees to become Director-General of the Imperial War Museum. The Imperial War Museum is unique in that it touches on all of our history, focusing on everyone's story as it explores the history of modern war and people’s experience of war and wartime life in Britain and the Commonwealth. I look forward to joining the Museum at this exciting time and to ensuring it continues to evolve and develop to reflect the history of all its visitors in the 21st Century.”
Sir Robert Crawford joined the Imperial War Museum as a Research Assistant in 1968. He became Deputy Director-General in 1982 during which time he managed the redevelopment of the permanent galleries at Imperial War Museum London in 1989. Following his appointment to Director-General in 1995, Sir Robert has been involved in a number of major redevelopments including the opening of the American Air Museum at Imperial War Museum Duxford in 1997; the Holocaust exhibition and Education suite at Imperial War Museum London in 2000; Imperial War Museum North in 2002; the Churchill Museum as an extension of the Cabinet War Rooms in 2005 and, most recently, Air Space at Imperial War Museum Duxford in July 2007.
Sir Robert was Chairman of the National Museums Directors Conference from 2001 – 2006 and oversaw the introduction of free admission in December 2001. He was awarded a CBE in 2002 for services to museums, and was created a Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours List, 2007.
For Press information contact:
Laura McKechan, 020 7416 5311/ 07814 417131,
lmckechan@iwm.org.uk
Victoria Main, 020 7416 5497,
vmain@iwm.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM
The national museum of the experiences of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since 1914.
The Imperial War Museum is the museum of everyone’s story: the history of modern war and people’s experience of war and wartime life in Britain and the Commonwealth. It is an educational and historical institution responsible for archives, collections and sites of outstanding national importance.
The Museum’s five branches include Imperial War Museum London which houses the award-winning Holocaust Exhibition; the Second World War cruiser HMS Belfast; the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, created in Churchill’s secret headquarters below Whitehall; Imperial War Museum Duxford, a world-renowned aviation and heritage complex, and Imperial War Museum North, one of the most talked-about new Museums in the UK.
Diane Lees
Diane Lees is currently the Director of the V&A Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green, with the specific brief to transform the museum and create a sustainable future for this East End site, she also chairs the V&A’s UK Steering Group. Beginning as an historic buildings researcher and moving into exhibitions, education and interpretation she has worked on some of the most challenging and exciting projects in the country including the rescue and relocation of a hat block manufacturers workshop in central Manchester; the recovery and display of the Mary Rose ship in Portsmouth Harbour and the redisplay of the Nelson Galleries at the Royal Naval Museum. She project managed the creation of the UK standard for the recording of information about museum collections (SPECTRUM) and was responsible for the creation of the only museum of law in the Country (the multi-award winning Galleries of Justice in Nottingham). She is a trustee of the Story Museum in Oxford, a trustee of the Army Museums Ogilby Trust, Vice Chair of the Association of Independent Museums and a Trustee of Kids in Museums.