A new portrait was unveiled last week to celebrate Professor Christine Gerrard’s tenure as Principal of LMH during the 2021-22 academic year.
The portrait was painted by Welsh contemporary artist Beth Marsden, who studied painting at Carmarthen School of Art and more recently at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford. She has been teaching and painting in Wales for 25 years.
During the unveiling, Beth sat down with Professor Gerrard and LMH Keeper of Pictures Professor Sophie Ratcliffe to discuss her inspiration for the portrait and expand on her artistic process.
Beth said of the experience: “The portrait of Christine was an absolute pleasure. After my meeting with her I knew that the portrait needed to include her beauty, intelligence, strength and wit, so I kept this in mind during the process.”
The new portrait will hang in the LMH Hall alongside those of other former Principals.
Professor Gerrard has been the Barbara Scott Fellow and Tutor in English at LMH since 1990, and before her election as Principal she served as Vice Principal for the 2020-21 academic year. During her time as Principal, Professor Gerrard played a central role in navigating the LMH community through the last stages of Covid lockdowns, working to restore the College to its pre-pandemic best.
Most recently, Professor Gerrard has been working on a Knowledge Exchange Fellowship with TORCH which centres on a three-way collaboration between the Oxford English Faculty, the National Trust and English Heritage. The Knowledge Exchange group will stage a revival of 1797 aristocratic comedy, The Woodcutter, which is touring LMH, Wrest Park and Wimpole in June this year.
