Alexander Sturgis

Alexander John Sturgis (born 6 November 1963) is a British art historian and museum curator. He is currently Director of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and was Director of the Holburne Museum in Bath from 2005 to 2014.

Early life Sturgis was born on 6 November 1963 in London, England. He was educated at Marlborough College, a private school in Marlborough, Wiltshire. He undertook post-graduate study in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Beginning in the education department, In 2005, he was appointed Director of the Holburne Museum in Bath. During his time at Holburne, he oversaw a renovation of the museum that included a £13 million extension.

From the 2014/2015 academic year he was appointed Director of the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum on 1 October 2014. He is also a Supernumerary Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford.

His publications include Rebels and Martyrs: The Image of the Artist in the Nineteenth Century (2006) and Presence: Sculpture and the Portrait (2012).

Personal life In his spare time, Sturgis is a magician under the name The Great Xa and appeared on 1990s British TV programme The Word appearing to swallow sharp razor blades.

Selected works