Robert Bell

The National Gallery of Australia mourns the loss of former Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Design Dr Robert Bell AM, who passed away 28 July 2018.

Robert entered the museum and arts sector at the young age of 19, and spent the next 50 years of his life championing crafts and design in Australia, amassing a vast knowledge and contributing significantly and consistently to the scholarship, nationally and internationally, of his chosen field.

He was born in Perth and, as a design graduate from the Western Australian Institute of Technology, started as the Senior Exhibits Designer at the Western Australian Museum in 1967. He joined the Art Gallery of Western Australia as its inaugural curator of Craft and Design in 1978 and was the curator and director of the major recurrent international event the Australian International Crafts Triennial, held in 1989, 1992 and 1998.

Before retiring from the museum sector in November last year, he dedicated 16 years to shaping the National Gallery’s internationally renowned decorative arts and design collection, which includes 12,000 works of contemporary and historic ceramics, glass, textiles, metalwork, jewellery, furniture, industrial design, costume and theatre arts.

‘We are saddened by the loss of a great curator and friend to many at the gallery,’ said Nick Mitzevich, National Gallery of Australia Director. ‘His service to the NGA resulted in a collection of international magnitude of which we are very proud. Our thoughts are with his wife, Eugenie Keefer Bell, and his family at this time.’

During his time with the NGA, Robert contributed to policy and research and greatly enriched the national collection. He oversaw the acquisition of 4875 Australian and 280 international decorative arts and design works, making the NGA’s holdings among the richest in Australia. He was also responsible for major exhibitions such as Material Culture: Aspects of contemporary Australian craft and design in 2002 and Transformations: The language of craft in 2005, among many others.

His seminal 2011 exhibition Ballets Russes: The art of costume was a marvellous showcase of 150 of the NGA’s costumes and accessories from the famous early twentieth-century ballet company. Ballet Russes also later toured to Tokyo, Japan—a city that Robert adored.

Robert was also responsible for innovative travelling exhibitions such as Bodywork: Australian Jewellery 1970–2012 and for Silver and gold: Unique Australian objects 1850–1910, which was displayed at Ipswich Art Gallery as part of a regional tour.

After more than fifty years in museums, Robert’s achievements are too prolific to list and his contribution to crafts and design in Australia too great to quantify. He was honoured with the Centenary Medal for services to decorative arts in 2003 and the Australia Council Visual Art Board Emeritus Medal for service to the crafts in Australia in 2005. In 2010, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his services to craft, design and museums.

Robert was an integral part of building the fabric of the nation’s art history across the decorative arts and design, and his contribution to the National Gallery and other institutions will serve as his legacy for years to come.

Vale, Robert Bell.