Jill Cook, FSA (born 1954) is a British museum curator who is the acting Keeper of the Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory at the British Museum. She curates the collection of European Prehistory and is a specialist in Ice Age art[1] and the archaeology of human evolution.
Jill Cook | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cook in 2011 | |
| Born | 1954 (age 69–70) |
| Occupation | Museum curator |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Palaeontology, Archaeology |
| Institutions | British Museum |
| Notable works | Ice Age Art, The Swimming Reindeer |
Career
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Cook joined the British Museum in 1986 as the curator of European Prehistory, becoming Deputy Keeper and is presently the Acting Keeper (head of department) of Britain, Europe and Prehistory.[2] Cook was elected a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1990.[3]
Ice Age Art
editCook curated the exhibition Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind at the British Museum in 2013.[4] The exhibition was a surprise success[5] for the British Museum, which extended its run,[6] despite the fact that it had struggled to attract sponsorship.[7] Ice Age art attracted large visitor numbers and good reviews.[8][9][10][11] Cook used art by Picasso, Degas, Mondrian, and Matisse, as well as work by modern artists such as Ghislaine Howard[12] in combination with Ice Age artefacts to examine the development of western art.[13]
Ice Age art was transformed into a new exhibition called Art in the age of Altamira at the Fundación Botín, Santander in late 2013.[14]
The Lampedusa Cross
editThe Lampedusa Cross[15] was acquired by Cook for the British Museum in 2015. It was made and donated by Francesco Tuccio, a carpenter who created crosses from the wreck of a boat which sank on 11 October 2013 off the coast of Lampedusa resulting in the deaths of 311 people.[16][17] In 2021 the cross was temporarily loaned to Hastings Museum and Art Gallery.[18]
Living with Gods
editCook curated the exhibition Living with gods: peoples, places and worlds beyond at the British Museum in 2017–2018.[19][20][21][22] The exhibition was part of a series of related projects produced by the British Museum and the BBC, including the BBC Radio 4 series Living with the Gods.[23]
Select bibliography
edit- Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind (British Museum Press, 2013)
- with P Woodman, 'Elephant's Teeth in the Diocese of Kilmore' Archaeology Ireland Vol. 27, No. 4 (Winter 2013), pp. 11–14
- The Swimming Reindeer (Objects in Focus) (British Museum Press, 2010)
- with S Milliken, A Very Remote Period Indeed. Papers on Palaeolithic Archaeology Presented to Derek Roe (Oxbow books 2001)
- 'Preliminary Report on Marked Human Bones from the 1986-1987 Excavations at Gough's Cave, Somerset, England' Anthropologie (1962-) Vol. 29, No. 3 (1991), pp. 181–187
- 'High Lodge: Einer der ältesten Fundplätze Englands?' Archäologie in Deutschland No. 3 (Juli-Sept. 1988), pp. 36–38
- with P Andrews, 'Natural Modifications to Bones in a Temperate Setting' Man New Series, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Dec., 1985), pp. 675–691
- 'A Re-Examination of Methods of Study Applicable to the British Lower Palaeolithic' World Archaeology Vol. 12, No. 2, Early Man: Some Precise Moments in the Remote Past (Oct., 1980), pp. 218–225
References
edit- ^ "The Origins of Art | The Warburg Institute". warburg.sas.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Cook, Jill. "Jill Cook". Linkedin. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Fellows Directory - Society of Antiquaries". www.sal.org.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Art of the Ice Age: The Modern Mind". YouTube. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Jill Cook - Archaeology, The University of York". www.york.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "JILL COOK :: ICE AGE ART | DROME magazine". www.dromemagazine.com. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "A British Museum exhibition given an icy response by sponsors is hit". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Dorment, Richard (4 February 2013). "Ice Age Art, British Museum, review". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "The modern mind". The Economist. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Kohn, Marek (6 February 2013). "Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind, British Museum, London". Financial Times. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Higgins, Charlotte (24 January 2013). "Ice age art at the British Museum was crafted by 'professional' artists". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ The British Museum (19 March 2013), The female gaze in Ice Age art, retrieved 9 March 2018
- ^ "Ice Age Art : Dr Jill Cook - Curator of European Prehistory at the British Museum". Bradshaw Foundation. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Exhibition El arte en la época de Altamira / Art in the age of Altamira". www.fundacionbotin.org. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "The Lampedusa Cross". The British Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Kirby, Emma Jane (2016). "How Lampedusa migrant memorial reached British Museum". BBC News. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "A crafted act of kindness - Crafts Council". www.craftscouncil.org.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Mills, Eleanor (31 August 2021). "Festival of Sanctuary announces Lampedusa Cross loan to Hastings". museums Association News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Living with gods: peoples, places and worlds beyond". The British Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Living with gods: peoples, places and worlds beyond | British Museum (Gods) | Stagetext". www.stagetext.org. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Prehistoric Lion Man points towards earliest notions of religion in new British Museum show". www.theartnewspaper.com. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "VIDEO: "Living with gods" exhibition inspired by Faith in Birmingham Gallery, says curator". Birmingham Eastside. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Living With The Gods - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2018.