Professor Rosalind Polly Blakesley
Professor Blakesley has been reappointed for a period of 4 years, commencing on 5 September 2026 to 4 September 2030.
Professor Rosalind Polly Blakesley has been the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, since October 2025. A prize-winning author, academic and art historian, she has worked at the University of Cambridge since 2002, holding the post of Professor of Russian and European Art since 2018. She has served on the boards of the National Portrait Gallery, Fitzwilliam Museum, Hamilton Kerr Institute and Kettle’s Yard, and is currently a Trustee of the Samuel Courtauld Trust.
An expert on the visual culture of imperial Russia and Northern Europe, Professor Blakesley’s books include Women Artists in the Reign of Catherine the Great, The Russian Canvas, and The Arts and Crafts Movement, as well as co-edited volumes and exhibition catalogues. She has worked with cultural and educational institutions around the world and curated exhibitions in Britain, Russia and the USA, including a pioneering exchange between the National Portrait Gallery in London and the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Awards for her scholarship and cultural diplomacy include the Pushkin Medal and the Pushkin House Book Prize.
Professor Rosalind Polly Blakesley chairs a critical V&A Committee (V&A Research Committee) and has distinctive expertise in research that is relevant to the V&A’s Collection.
Remuneration and Governance Code
Trustees of the Victoria & Albert Museum are not remunerated.
This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election.
Professor Rosalind Polly Blakesley has declared no such political activity.
Notes to Editors
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