Helen has curated and co-curated over twenty exhibitions spanning the history of photography. Her curatorial practice is underpinned by intellectual rigour and a deep commitment to engaging audiences and broadening access to collections. Her creative ambition to tell new stories about underrepresented histories is met by her passion for building collaborative artistic partnerships. Helen is especially motivated by projects which reflect the photographic archive as a medium to encourage dialogue, cultural exchange and inspire positive social change.
2019-2020
Prince Albert: His Life and Legacy (Project Manager, Senior Curator of Photographs)
2018
Resolution is not the point, Photo50, London Art Fair. (Co-curator with members of Hemera Collective, 17-21 January 2018)
“A thoughtful exploration of the key concerns of our contemporary moment.” Read Photomonitor’s review of the exhibition online.
2017
Researcher and advisor to the Photographic Collections Network, an organisation which protects and shares the UK’s diverse photographic collections and archives.
2016
Josef Breitenbach Research Fellowship: Helen’s curatorial research project ‘Shared Vision: Experiments in Photography Education: 1945-1975’ examined the history of photography education in the United States in the post-war period with emphasis on the tensions between commercial and art practice, as well as the growing emergence of visual literacy as a recognized discipline during this time.
2015
Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon (Co-curator and author, 2 July – 18 October 2015)
★★★★★ The Evening Standard ★★★★ The Telegraph ★★★★ The Times
Audrey Hepburn: Portraits of an Icon enjoyed a record-breaking success at the National Portrait Gallery, London, before touring to The Wilson, Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition catalogue for which Helen was the lead author has since been published in multiple editions including German and Japanese. Read The Telegraph’s exhibition review here.
2014
Snowdon: A Life in View (26 September 2014 – 21 June 2015)
Read Helen Trompeteler’s interview with Amateur Photographer magazine on the life and career of photographer Lord Snowdon here.
2013
Michael Peto Photographs: Mandela to McCartney (17 September 2013 – 1 June 2014)
Read Helen Trompeteler’s interview with Digital Photographer magazine on Michael Peto here.
Achievement: New Photographs 2011-2013 (14 September 2013 – 5 January 2014)
Characters and Caricatures: Photographs by Herbert Watkins (3 June – 17 November 2013)
Man Ray Portraits (Assistant Curator, 7 February – 27 May 2013)
★★★★★ Time Out ★★★★ Evening Standard ★★★★ Metro
Man Ray Portraits toured to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, London, and The Pushkin Museum, Moscow. Helen’s research was summarized in an extensive chronology on Man Ray’s life and career for the exhibition catalogue. Highlights of the critical acclaim for this exhibition are available online.
2012
Neil Libbert: Photojournalist (17 September 2012 – 28 April 2013)
Fred Daniels: Cinema Portraits (28 September 2012 – 24 March 2013)
Spotlight on Peter Rand (17 April – 16 September 2012)
2011
Sandra Lousada: Work and Performance (28 November 2011 – 20 May 2012)
Mick Jagger: Young in the 60s (3 May – 27 November 2011)
Sixteen by Fourteen: Recent Photographic Acquisitions (7 February – 9 October 2011)
2010
H. Walter Barnett: Women of Note (15 November 2010 – 8 May 2011)
From Where I Stand: Photographs by Mary McCartney (27 September 2010 – 2 May 2011)
Twentieth Century Portraits: Photographs by Dmitri Kasterine (11 September 2010 – 3 April 2011)
Jason Bell: An Englishman in New York (14 August 2010 – 17 April 2011)
Glastonbury: Photographs by Venetia Dearden (19 April – 26 September 2010)
Format Photography Agency: 1983-2003 (21 January – 8 August 2010)
2009
Jane Bown: Exposures (1 December 2009 – 5 April 2010)
Twiggy: A Life in Photographs (19 September 2009 – 21 March 2010)
Science in Focus: Portraits of Scientists (26 August 2009 – 17 January 2010)