Desmond Shawe-Taylor was Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures from 2005 until his retirement in 2021; before this, he was Director of Dulwich Picture Gallery. As well as publishing extensively, he has been responsible for many exhibitions, in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace and elsewhere. In 2018 he co-curated the award-winning exhibition 'Charles I: King and Collector' at the Royal Academy.

Desmond Shawe-Taylor