Rose Kerr

Rose Kerr (born February 1953) is an English art historian specializing in Chinese art, especially Chinese ceramics, on which she has written a number of books. After studying Mandarin and Chinese art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (1971–75), she worked at the Percival David Foundation (1976–78). She joined the Far Eastern Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1978. She became the Keeper of the Far Eastern Department in 1987, a post she held until her retirement in 2003. In 2015, she was made an honorary citizen of Jingdezhen, China, the historic centre of Chinese porcelain production, in recognition of her academic research on Jingdezhen ceramics, and her promotion of cultural exchange between the United Kingdom and China. She was the first non-Chinese citizen to be so honoured. Early life Rose Kerr was born in February 1953. She graduated in Chinese studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and was one of a handful of British students to live and study in China during the last year of the Cultural Revolution in 1975-1976. Career Kerr was Keeper of the Far Eastern Department at the Victoria & Albert Museum until her retirement in 2003.