NEWS

The Trustees of the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Ella Kilgallon as the next Curator / Direttore of Keats-Shelley House, Rome. She will take up the position in February 2023.

Ella says: ‘I am absolutely delighted to be taking up the post of Curator of the Keats-Shelley House. As poets who were inspired by a wealth of subjects, from medieval poetry to political radicalism, and whose work has in turn inspired artistic movements, the reach and relevance of Keats and Shelley is exceptional. As a curator passionate about artistic and social histories I am excited by the opportunity to work with a property and collection enriched by these diverse influences with so many important stories to share.’

Ella trained at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where she worked for several years in the Designs Department. She joins Keats-Shelley House from Kedleston Hall, a principal National Trust property in Derbyshire with museum accreditation, where she has been the Property Curator.

An 18th-century neo-classical mansion filled with Italian paintings and sculptures and inspired by architect Robert Adam’s Grand Tour of Italy, there is a suggestive Anglo-Italian connection between Kedleston Hall and Keats-Shelley House. Dr Kilgallon has an impressive academic record, including a First in History from the University of Nottingham, an MA in Medieval History from King’s College London and a PhD in medieval Italian history from Queen Mary University of London.

Dr Kilgallon succeeds Dr Giuseppe Albano, MBE who stepped down earlier this year after more than ten years in Piazza di Spagna to take up a new position as Director of the Freud Museum in London. The Trustees and Rome Committee of KSMA wish to record their thanks both to Giuseppe for his outstanding contribution and to Dr Luca Caddia, the Deputy Curator, who has taken the helm brilliantly over the past few months. We extend a warm welcome to Ella and look forward to working with her on the next chapter for Keats-Shelley House.