In 1977 Ms King hired renowned writer and artist Alasdair Gray as “artist-recorder” at the museum.
The job, created through a government scheme, saw Gray document the city’s streets and people in a series of paintings and drawings.
Under her curatorship, the People’s Palace won European Museum of the Year in 1981 and British Museum of the Year in 1983.
After leaving the People’s Palace in 1990, Ms King became director of the Dunfermline Heritage Trust, helping to restore Abbot House, the town’s oldest secular building, as a heritage centre.
She went on to lead the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling from 1994 until her retirement in 2018, during which time she steered the institution through funding challenges and helped secure its future after a public campaign.
In 2005, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Stirling for her contribution to Scottish museums and her promotion of the nation’s history and culture.
