Gillian Spencer, a pioneering curator who played a key role in revitalizing museums and galleries in Wakefield and the broader Yorkshire region during the 1970s and 1980s, has died at the age of 95. Her leadership and vision significantly transformed local cultural institutions, enhancing their collections and public appeal.

Spencer was appointed as the museums and art galleries officer in Wakefield in 1973. At the time, the city’s collections were housed in a deteriorating, polluted building heated by coal, which she described as “a machine to destroy the collections.” She also encountered the City Art Gallery’s management approach as lacking clear curatorial strategy, with exhibition decisions based primarily on physical attributes such as size and brightness rather than artistic significance.

Among the notable holdings were early works by prominent local sculptors Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Spencer’s commitment to preservation was exemplified by her handling of a damaged 1934 sculpture, Mother and Child, by Hepworth. Upon discovering the sculpture’s condition in storage, Spencer initiated correspondence with the artist, who initially responded with anger but later agreed to restore the piece after Spencer explained the challenging circumstances. During their exchange, Hepworth revealed that a 1968 Tate exhibition had provided her personal strength amid her divorce, illustrating the mutual respect developed between curator and artist.

Spencer’s curatorial philosophy emphasized the educational and emotional value of art. She actively supported the acquisition of contemporary works by artists including Norman Adams, Bryan Kneale, Nicholas Pope, and Euan Uglow, broadening the gallery’s appeal and relevance.

Born in South Norwood, London, Spencer was the daughter of Peter Chapman, a schoolteacher, and Ada Bryne. During World War II, she was evacuated with her younger brother to relatives in south Wales. She pursued studies in history at Newnham College, Cambridge, graduating in 1958, followed by a postgraduate diploma in archaeology at University College London. Her early career included curatorial posts at Winchester City Museum and Saffron Walden Museum, and roles in museum education at Bristol City Museum and Norwich Castle Museum.

Spencer married writer Colin Spencer in 1959, with whom she had a son, Jonathan; the couple divorced in 1968. In Wakefield, she assembled a team of young experts across art, archaeology, and local history, underpinning the city’s cultural development. Spencer was instrumental in opening a gallery space in a former Elizabethan grammar school in 1976 and helped lay the groundwork for landmark institutions such as the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 1977 and the Hepworth Wakefield, which replaced the City Art Gallery in 2011.

After retiring in 1991, Spencer continued contributing to the community by serving on the fabric committee of Wakefield Cathedral. She is survived by her son, Jonathan.