Issued by the News
Distribution Service on behalf of the Royal Collection Trust
Her Majesty The Queen has appointed Mr Rufus Bird to the
position of Deputy Surveyor of The Queen's Works of Art.
Mr Bird is currently a Director of Christie’s, London, where he is
responsible for sales of English Furniture.
He will join the Royal Collection on 7 June and will succeed
Jonathan Marsden, who takes over from Sir Hugh Roberts as Director
of the Royal Collection and Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art
on Sir Hugh’s retirement at the end of April. The Deputy Surveyor
is a member of the Management Committee of the Royal Collection,
one of the five departments of the Royal Household.
Rufus Bird, who is 35, has worked for Christie’s since 1997 and
has been a furniture specialist since 1999. In 2004 he was
appointed Associate Director and in 2008 Director with
responsibility for English Furniture (1660-1860). He researched
and catalogued the furnishings of Dumfries House in Ayrshire and
Tyntesfield in Somerset. Mr Bird is a graduate of Peterhouse,
Cambridge, where he studied History of Art. He is married to
Arabella and has two children.
The Royal Collection, one of the largest and most important art
collections in the world, is held in trust by The Queen as
Sovereign for her successors and the Nation. The Works of Art
section is responsible for a high proportion of the contents of
the royal palaces, including furniture, sculpture, European and
oriental porcelain, gold and silver, tapestries and weaponry.
Sir Hugh Roberts, Director of the Royal Collection, said,
'Rufus Bird will bring with him a wealth of knowledge and
experience from his time at Christie’s. This will be of great
value to the Royal Collection in the years to come. We greatly
look forward to working with him.’
Rufus Bird said, ‘I am deeply honoured to have been appointed to
this position and I very much look forward to working at the Royal Collection.’
Further enquiries: Public Relations and Marketing, the Royal
Collection,
telephone: 020 7839 1377, press@royalcollection.org.uk
Notes to Editors
1. The Royal Collection is on display at the principal royal
residences, all of which are open to the public. These include
Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse,
the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, the
Banqueting House and Osborne House. The Queen's Galleries
in London and Edinburgh, and the Drawings Gallery at Windsor
Castle have a programme of changing exhibitions to show further
areas of the Collection to the public. Over 3,000 objects from the
Royal Collection are on long-term loan to museums and galleries
around the UK and abroad.
2. The Royal Collection receives no Government funding or public
subsidy. It is administered by the Royal Collection Trust, a
registered charity in England and Wales (1016972) and in Scotland
(SCO39772). Income generated by the Royal Collection Trust from
the public opening of Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, the
Palace of Holyroodhouse and The Queen’s Galleries, and from
associated retail activities, supports curatorial, conservation
and educational work, loans and travelling exhibitions, and
projects to increase public access.
Contacts:
NDS Enquiries
Phone: For enquiries please contact the above department
ndsenquiries@coi.gsi.gov.uk