Courtauld director reappointed to cultural property export group

MARK HALLETT and TIM PESTELL have been reappointed as trustees of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), which advises the government on the export of cultural property, by Culture Secretary LISA NANDY.

Hallett has served as Märit Rausing director of the Courtauld since August 2023, overseeing all aspects of its work as both a specialist scholarly organisation and a world-class gallery.

He started his career teaching in the History of Art Department at the University of York for 18 years, and in 2012 became director of the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art, a post he held for more than a decade.

He has published monographs and catalogues on the history of British art, and curated major exhibitions at Tate Britain, the Wallace Collection, the Royal Academy, and the Yale Center for British Art.

Meanwhile, senior curator of Archaeology at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Pestell was the interpretation lead on the £27 million restoration of Norwich Castle Keep, which opened this summer.

He has served on several committees, including the Treasure Valuation Committee and Bury St Edmunds Cathedral’s Fabric Advisory Committee, both for ten years.

He is currently a trustee of the Great Hospital in Norwich, founded in 1249, which provides independent living for the over-60s.

Hallett and Pestell began their second term of four years this summer.