Unfailingly friendly

But you certainly needed to be on your toes in conversation given her wonderfully strong opinions and astute observations.

There was always an air of trepidation in the office when we heard Jeannine was reviewing an exhibition. I would go down to the gallery and meet her. She would listen patiently while I tried to persuade her, using all the charm I could muster, of the merits of an artist's work. She would then ask a few rather sharp questions while eyeing up both me and the work with a wry scepticism. At some point in this process it was always made it clear that, she would, of course, be coming to her own conclusions! Despite our worries, her reviews were always models of good criticism; objective, thoughtful and a pleasure to read.

Andrew Nairne, Director, Modern Art Oxford