Betty Churcher
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Betty Churcher AO |
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| Born |
Elizabeth Ann Dewar Cameron 11 January 1931 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 31 March 2015 (aged 84) Wamboin, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | Somerville House |
| Alma mater |
Royal College of Art Courtauld Institute of Art Australian National University |
| Occupation | Arts administrator |
| Known for | Director of the National Gallery of Australia (1990–1997) |
| Spouse(s) | Roy Churcher (1955–2014) |
| Children | Peter Churcher, Ben Churcher, Tim Churcher, Paul Churcher |
 Photograph
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2008 photograph by Dean Golja
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Elizabeth Ann Dewar "Betty" Churcher AO (née Cameron; 11 January 1931 – 31 March 2015) was an Australian arts administrator, best known as director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997. She was also a painter in her own right earlier in her life. She won a travelling scholarship to Europe and attended the London Royal College of Art. She received a Master of Arts from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London in 1977. After death she was described by one writer as "a seminal figure in the arts sector, a superior curator and administrator as well as a gifted communicator who introduced Australians to the world of art outside the national collections."
Born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Betty Churcher attended from age 7 to 15 Somerville House school, paid for by her grandmother. She left school after grade 10, because her father did not think she needed a higher education. Between 1972 and 1975, Churcher was art critic for The Australian newspaper. She was the Dean of School of Art and Design and taught Art History at the progressive Phillip Institute of Technology (now RMIT University) between 1982 and 1987, and director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia from 1987 to 1990. She left after disagreements with Robert Holmes à Court about the gallery's acquisition of a Pierre Bonnard painting. She was then appointed director of the Australian National Gallery. She hosted several television shows in the 1990s and authored several books, including The Art of War about war artists. Her son is the artist Peter Churcher.
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