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Joanna Drew

1929 – 2003

Art gallery director

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About Joanna Drew

Lived 1929 – 2003 (aged 73–74). Joanna Drew was a curator.

Joanna Drew CBE (1929–2003) was an English art gallery director and arts administrator. She worked for the Arts Council for nearly four decades, and was director of the Hayward Gallery from 1987 until 1992. She was once described as "unquestionably the most important individual in the British art scene".

Life Joanna Drew was born in India, the daughter of Brigadier Francis Greville Drew, later military governor of Eritrea, and the artist Sannie Drew. She was educated at Edinburgh Ladies' College and Dartington Hall before studying a course in the history and practice of art taught jointly by the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh College of Art. She became director of exhibitions at the Arts Council in 1975 and director of art in 1978. She was made director of the Hayward Gallery in 1987, and stayed in that role until she retired in 1992.

Outside of her work at the Arts Council, Drew was a trustee of the Elephant Trust and the Henry Moore Foundation.

Drew was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December 2002, and died in April the following year.

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Important facts

Born
1929
Birth century
Died
2003
Occupation
Education
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art, The Mary Erskine School
Awards
Commander of the Order of the British Empire

People in Joanna Drew's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Joanna Drew's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Joanna Drew?

Art gallery director

When was Joanna Drew born?

Joanna Drew was born in 1929.

When did Joanna Drew die?

Joanna Drew died in 2003.

What was Joanna Drew's occupation?

Joanna Drew was a curator.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Joanna Drew

· Wikidata: Q16015808

· DBpedia: Joanna Drew

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Joanna Drew. https://biography.guide/joanna-drew/

MLA: "Joanna Drew." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/joanna-drew/.

Chicago: "Joanna Drew." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/joanna-drew/.

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