Dr Julia Alexander 1967-2025

It is with enormous sadness that we learnt of the sudden death of Dr Julia Alexander a few days ago. Julia was a celebrated scholar of British art, an inspirational curator and pioneering museum leader; for the last three years she served as a judge of the Berger Prize. Julia was a wonderful colleague and friend, who brought wisdom, energy and humour to all she did.

Katherine Berger, chair of the Berger Collection Educational Trust writes: ‘Julia is a great loss to the world of art history, she had a passion and drive that was infectious. Julia was a wonderful addition to our judging panel, bringing a wealth of experience, scholarly expertise and most of all sense of fun. Our thoughts are with her family at this awful time.’

Dr Alexander was a scholar of British art and history, with a focus on 17th century visual art and culture in Britain and France. After more than a decade at the Yale Center for British Art, she was Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs at the San Diego Museum of Art from 2008 to 2013. Since then, Dr Alexander served as Executive Director & CEO of the Walters Art Museum. In early 2024, her departure from Baltimore to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation was announced. In addition, she was President of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Art Museum Directors (for art museums in North America and Mexico). She earned her BA in art history and French at Wellesley College, her MA in French at NYU and her MA and PhD in the history of art at Yale University.