Head of Art, Imperial War Museum (IWM)

Kathleen Palmer is Head of Art at IWM, where she has worked as an art curator since 2001. She leads on the research, interpretation and shaping of IWM’s internationally important collection of art, posters and other popular design. She plays a significant part in devising the art public programme at IWM, which encompasses contemporary comissions and projects, highly regarded single artist shows, thematic exhibitions and collection displays.

Kathleen has curated two exhibitions currently on show - The Tourists, an art intervention by Hew Locke on board HMS Belfast and IWM Contemporary: Hew Locke at IWM London. Previous exhibitions include IWM Contemporary: Mark Neville July – September 2014, and Women War Artists, an exhibition at IWM London 9 April 2011 – 8 January 2012 for which Kathleen wrote an accompanying book published by Tate. Her main research interest is in exploring and re-evaluating the contribution of women artists, and artists from other marginalised groups, in creating official and unofficial war art in the twentieth century.

Before joining IWM Kathleen worked at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia. She has a BA (Hons) History of Art from the University of Bristol, and an MA in Museology from the University of East Anglia.