Biography
Jacqui Ansell read Art History and Theory at Essex University and gained an MA in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute. Formerly an Education Officer at the National Gallery, London, she can be heard on numerous podcasts on their website, analysing works of art in the collection. As a longstanding Associate Lecturer and tutor for the Open University she was singled out for excellence in teaching, selected to mentor other tutors, and asked to produce study skills material in art history. As well as writing for Open University courses, Jacqui has written distance-learning modules on art history and twentieth and twenty-first century art for a degree course validated by Middlesex University. She lectures regularly on the public programmes of the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and Wallace Collection, and is an accredited Art Society Lecturer, with specialism in art and dress history. Publications and research interests include Court dress, Grand Tour portraiture, the National Gallery’s collection, and the links between furniture and fashion. Her contribution to the book Understanding Heritage in Practice (edited by Susie West, Manchester University Press 2010) forms part of the Open University's course 'Understanding Global Heritage'. She has taught at Christie's Education since 2008 and is the writer and presenter of the Christie's Education Online course 'Speak with Confidence about Contemporary Art' and ‘Family Learning’ course.
Professional Affiliations
Informal advisor on choice of objects/approach for forthcoming exhibition at Royal Collection on C18th Dress
Catalogue notes decoding dress in C17th paintings for Philip Mould
Writer and presenter of Christie’s Education Online Course ‘Speak with Confidence about Contemporary Art’
Writer and presenter of Christie’s Education Online Course ‘Family Learning:101 Surprising Ideas Inspired by Art’
Author of book about Vincent Van Gogh’s 1870s stay in Ramsgate
Publications and Exhibitions
Informal advisor on choice of objects/approach for forthcoming exhibition at Royal Collection on C18th Dress – Feb 2019
Catalogue notes decoding dress in C17th paintings for Philip Mould – 2018/19
Writer and presenter of Christie’s Education Online Course ‘Speak with Confidence about Contemporary Art’ launching 2020
Author of book about Vincent Van Gogh’s 1870s stay in Ramsgate – April 2020
Conference Papers
Co-convenor of conference ‘Recycling Luxury’ Christie’s Education with Dr Marie Tavinor – July 2019
Piloting a partnership between the National Portrait Gallery and award-winning ‘Six’ musical to deliver tours on Tudor History & and Women’s History – 2019/20
National Gallery public lecture ‘Monochrome: Dressing up in Black and White’– December 2017
The Wallace Collection 3 day course ‘The Fine Art of Fashion: Dress and Décor in the C18th’ – August 2017
The Wallace Collection 3 day course ‘Cuffs and Ruffs C17th Dutch Dress’ – April 2018
The Course 3 lectures ‘The Art of Dress in Literature and Life: Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens’ – September 2018
The Embroiderer’s Guild lecture ‘Resplendent or Ridiculous? Dress at Queen Victoria’s Court’ – December 2018
The Wallace Collection 3 day course ‘Fashion in Miniature: Decoding Dress C16th-C19th’ – March 2019
National Portrait Gallery public lecture ‘Exquisite Objects: Dressed to Impress in the Age of Shakespeare and Hilliard’ – April 2019
Samuel Johnson House public lecture ‘Fashionable Circles – Garrick, Johnson, Reynolds’ – May 2019
Royal Academy lecture ‘A Tale of Two Cities: Paris Fashion, London Life (in Art 1740-1790) – May 2019
The Embroiderer’s Guild lecture ‘Subversive Stitching: Embroidery in Art, Embroidery as Art’ – June 2019
Victorian Society of America ‘Kaleidoscope: Clothing and Culture in the Crinoline Era’ – July 2019
Christie’s Education Conference, Recycling Luxury ‘Signifiers of Status: Borrowed Robes in Batoni’s Art’ – July 2019
Wallace Collection Day Course ‘Fashion or Fantasy: Manolo Blahnik and the Fine Art of the Shoe’ – July 2019
Georgian Society of Ireland ‘Batoni’s Irish Sitters’ The Standish Barry Biannual Lecture – October 2019
National Portrait Gallery public lecture ‘Six Wives and their Wardrobes: Power Dressing at the Court of Henry VIII’ – June 2020
