Annette Grace Pearse

Annette Grace Pearse ( Weeks, 22 May 1893 – 24 February 1981) was a New Zealand art gallery curator and director.

Early life Pearse was born in Bowling, Dunbartonshire, Scotland in 1893. Her parents were George Weeks and Elizabeth (née Stephenson). She was educated at the Glasgow School of Art and London Central School of Art and Design.

Career Pearse was appointed Curator of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery (DPAG) in 1946, a position she held until retiring in 1964. She also formed relationships with other collectors such as Doris Monheimer, Dorothy Theomin and Eleanor Joachim, all of whom made bequests of art to the gallery on their deaths.

In addition to expanding the collection, Pearse was responsible for improving the range of objects displayed in the gallery, and the quality of their presentation. The gallery's building was expanded and developed and the exhibition programme was improved.