MacGregor, (Robert) Neil (1946– )

Scottish art historian. He was director of London's National Gallery 1987–2002 and of the British Museum from 2002.

He began his career as a lecturer in art history at Reading University 1975–81. As editor of the art monthly Burlington Magazine 1981–87, he engineered its move from Thompson's Newspapers to non-profit status. Although his lack of previous museum experience made his appointment to the National Gallery controversial, he became known for his combination of intellectualism, strong public relations, and political savvy, making the museum more profitable and gaining wider recognition from television appearances. Seeing Salvation, for example, was a popular series based on his exhibition that examined representations of Jesus in Western art. At the British Museum, he arranged several important acquisitions and established liaisons with top museums worldwide. He continued his television exposure with popular series such as The Museum (2007), a ten-part documentary giving an insider's view to the British Museum.

MacGregor was born in Glasgow. After receiving his bachelor's degree in modern languages from Oxford University, he studied philosophy at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris and earned his law degree at Edinburgh University. He later received a master's degree from the University of London's Courtauld Institute of Art. In 1999 he declined a knighthood.