Dr John Chu

Research interests: My research focuses on 18th-century British art and visual culture, with particular emphasis on Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. I am especially interested in experimentations with artistic genre and media in this period of rapid social change, colonial expansion and commercial growth; and the relationship between art practice, theory and the market. Within the collaborative environment of museums, my research in this area has deeply intersected with the material and technical study of paintings, often in dialogue with conservation. 

Having worked for the National Trust for over a decade, a central strand of my research has explored how art operates within the historic house, examining histories of collecting, display and interpretation, and the ways in which works of art acquire meaning in domestic and heritage contexts. A growing area of interest for me is in the homes of collectors of contemporary art in 20th-century Britain, and the transition of private collections of modern art into the national heritage.

I actively seek collaboration and wide public dissemination in my research activities, and have curated exhibitions at Osterley Park (London), Powis Castle (Powys) and the London Art Fair. I have also written for multiple exhibition catalogues including Joshua Reynolds: Experiments in Paint (The Wallace Collection, 2015); Figures de fantaisie (Musée des Augustins, 2015–16); In the Light of Cuyp: Gainsborough, Constable, Turner (Dordrechts Museum, 2021–2); and Gainsborough (Tate Britain, upcoming 2027). In the realm of digital and broadcasting, I’ve enjoyed contributing regularly to TV and radio programmes, including four series of Hidden Treasures of the National Trust (BBC 2), episodes of The Early Music Show (BBC Radio 3) and Fake or Fortune (BBC 1).