KENNETH CLARK: Looking for Civilisation

Chris Stephens and John-Paul Stonard, with David Alan Mellor, Peter T.J. Rumley, and John Wyver

ISBN 10: 1849762600 / ISBN 13: 9781849762601

Published by Tate Publishing, London, 2014

About this Item

160p. A grey softcover book in fine condition. apart from a neat bookplate inside the front cover and a lightly bumped corner. An illustrated account of the life and work of Kenneth Clark, the British art collector and patron.

Seller Inventory # 149889

Bibliographic Details

• Title: KENNETH CLARK: Looking for Civilisation
• Publisher: Tate Publishing, London
• Publication Date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1849762600
• ISBN 13: 9781849762601
• Binding: Paperback
• Seller catalogs:
  • Art

About this title

Synopsis

Art historian, collector, museum director and broadcaster, Kenneth Clark was one of the leading cultural figures in Britain in the midtwentieth century. Accompanying a major exhibition, this book considers all aspects of his life and work, including his television career that climaxed in the landmark series Civilisation . Particular emphasis is placed on Clark s support of, and influence upon, the art of his time. As director of the National Gallery he oversaw the relocation of the collection during the Second World War. He chaired the pioneering War Artists Advisory Committee, and persauded the government not to conscript artists Henry Moore was one such artist who greatly benefited from Clark s support. After the war he resigned his directorship to concentrate on writing, in 1954 was co-founder of the broadcasting company that was to become ITV, and chaired the Arts Council from 1955 to 1960. A passionate advocate of art being made accessible to all, in 1969 Clark wrote and presented Civilisation for the BBC, distilling the history of Western philosophy, culture and art into thirteen groundbreaking episodes. After a period of neglect, there is now considerable interest in Clark among academics, publishers and broadcasters. As well as providing new research and information on Clark, the book is a significant intervention into histories of modern British art.

About the Author

Dr Chris Stephens is a senior curator of Modern British Art and Head of Displays at Tate Britain. Dr John-Paul Stonard is an independent scholar and a regular contributor to the Burlington Magazine, Artforum, and Times Literary Supplement.