Kenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA (July 13, 1903 – May 21, 1983) was an English author, museum director, broadcaster, and one of the most famous art historians of his generation. The Order of Merit is a British and Commonwealth Order bestowed by the Monarch. The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The British Academy is the United Kingdom 's National academy for the Humanities and the Social sciences It was established by Royal Charter Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Art history is the Academic study of objects of Art in their Historical development and stylistic contexts i In 1969, he was catapulted to international fame as the writer, producer and presenter of the BBC Television series, Civilisation: A Personal View. Civilisation A Personal View (often called simply Civilisation) is the title of a book and a popular and influential
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Biography
Early life
Kenneth Clark was born in London, the only child of Kenneth MacKenzie Clark and Margaret Alice McArthur, his cousin. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Clarks were a wealthy Scottish family with roots in the textile trade (the "Clark" in Coats & Clark threading). Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. His great, great grandfather had invented the cotton spool. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Kenneth Clark the elder had retired in 1909 at the age of 41 to become a member of the 'idle rich' (as described by W. D. Rubinstein in The Biographical Dictionary of Life Peers). William D Rubinstein (born August 12, 1946) is a Historian and Author.
Clark was educated at Winchester College and Trinity College, Oxford, where he studied the history of art. Winchester College is a well-known boys' Independent school, and an example of an English Public school, in the city of Winchester in Hampshire The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight, or Trinity College for short is one of the In 1927 he married a fellow Oxford student, Elizabeth Jane Martin. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the The couple had three children: Alan, in 1928, and twins Colette (known as Celly) and Colin in 1932. Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (13 April 1928 &ndash 5 September 1999 was a British Conservative Politician, Historian and Diarist
Early career
An admirer of Ruskin and a protégé of the most influential art critic of the time, Bernard Berenson, Clark quickly became the British art establishment's most respected aesthetician. John Ruskin (8 February 1819 &ndash 20 January 1900 is best known for his work as an Art critic, sage writer, and Social critic, but is remembered Bernard Berenson (born June 26, 1865 Butrimonys (now in Alytus district of Lithuania) &ndash October 6, 1959 Florence After a stint as fine arts curator at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, in 1933 at age 30, Clark was appointed director of the National Gallery. The Ashmolean Museum (in full the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology) on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first He was the youngest person ever to hold the post. The following year he also became Surveyor of the King's Pictures, a post he held until 1945. The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. He was a controversial figure however, in part due to his distaste for much of modern art and Post-Modernist thought. History of Modern art Roots in the 19th century Although modern Sculpture and Architecture are reckoned to have emerged at the end of the nineteenth Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism Nevertheless, he was an influential supporter of modern sculptor Henry Moore and, as Chairman of the War Artists committee, he persuaded the government not to conscript artists thus ensuring that Moore found work. Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986 was an English artist and sculptor. In 1946 Clark resigned his directorship in order to devote more time to writing. Between 1946 and 1950 he was Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Slade Professorship of Fine Art is the senior professorship of Art at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and London. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the He was a founding board member and also served as Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1955 to 1960, and had a major role in the art program of the Festival of Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was a Non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the Fine arts in Great Britain. The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition which opened in London and around Britain in May 1951
Kenneth Clark was created Knight Commander of the Bath in 1938, and made a Companion of Honour in 1959. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order. He also received the Order of Merit in 1976. The Order of Merit is a British and Commonwealth Order bestowed by the Monarch. In 1955 he purchased Saltwood Castle in Kent. Saltwood Castle is a castle in Saltwood village— which derives its name from the Castle— 1 mile (2 km north of Hythe Kent, England. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format
Clark the broadcaster
An indefatigable lecturer in both academic and broadcast settings, Clark's mastery was to make accessible complex and profound subject matter that could then be appreciated by an extremely broad audience. He was one of the founders, in 1954, of the Independent Television Authority, serving as its Chairman until 1957, when he moved to ITA's rival BBC. The Independent Television Authority ( ITA) was a body created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" ( In 1969 he wrote and produced Civilisation: A Personal View for BBC television, a series on the history of Western civilisation as seen through its art. Civilisation A Personal View (often called simply Civilisation) is the title of a book and a popular and influential Also broadcast on PBS in 1969, Civilisation was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, catapulting Clark to international fame. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the According to Clark, the series was created in answer to the growing criticism of Western Civilisation, from its value system to its heroes. In 1970, the Irish national newspaper TV critics honoured Clark with a Jacob's Award for Civilisation. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards [1]
A self-described "hero-worshipper", Clark proved to be an ardent pro-individualist, Humanist, anti-marxist and anti-elitist. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal His comments on the subject of 1960s radical University students, from a final episode of Civilisation, are but one example of his extremely critical view of Post Modernism in all its contemporary forms: "I can see them [the students] still through the University of the Sorbonne, impatient to change the world, vivid in hope, although what precisely they hope for, or believe in, I don't know. Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism " - Clark, Civilisation, Episode 12.
Clark believed in the sublime and noble nature of man, and his quiet, witty and often devastating criticism of environmentalism, the Monarchy, religious authoritarianism and Statism continues to win him praise from a wide range of the political spectrum, most notably from those of a Classical Liberal and Objectivist mind-set. Statism (or Etatism) is a very loose and often Derogatory term that is used to describe Specific instances of state intervention in personal social And yet, Clark was also able to see the Church as a repository for the best minds that the West had produced, a place where men of action were necessarily attracted. A highly tolerant man, in discussing those with whom he disagreed, Clark was able in a dignified and respectful manner, to illustrate his differences along with effectively expressing his praise.
Later life
He was Chancellor of the University of York from 1967 to 1978 and a trustee of the British Museum. A Chancellor is the head of a University. Other titles are sometimes used such as President or Rector. The University of York is a Campus university in the city of York, England. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. Clark was awarded a life peerage in 1969, taking the title Baron Clark, of Saltwood in the County of Kent (The British satirical magazine Private Eye nicknamed him Lord Clark of Civilisation). In the United Kingdom, life peers are created members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as Hereditary Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.
In 1975 he supported the campaign to create a separate Turner Gallery for the Turner Bequest (an aim still unfulfilled) and in 1980 agreed to open a symposium on Turner at the University of York, of which he had been Chancellor, but illness compelled him to back out of that commitment, which Lord Harewood undertook in his place.
His wife Jane died in 1976 and the following year Lord Clark married Nolwen de Janzé-Rice, former wife of Edward Rice, and daughter of the Count of Janzé alias Comte Frederic de Janze (a well-known French racing driver of the 1920s and 1930s) by his wife Alice Silverthorne (better known by her married names as Alice de Janze or Alice de Trafford), a wealthy American heiress resident in Kenya. Alice de Janzé, née Silverthorne (28 September 1899 &ndash 30 September 1941 also known as Alice de Trafford, was an American Heiress who Lord Clark died in Hythe after a short illness in 1983. Hythe (haɪð or haithe) is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway (derived from Sheep Way on the south coast
Legacy
Lord Clark's elder son, Alan Clark, became a prominent Conservative MP and was a writer-historian. Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (13 April 1928 &ndash 5 September 1999 was a British Conservative Politician, Historian and Diarist The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament.
Lord Clark continues to be a source of inspiration for many contemporary artists, historians and television producers.
Quotes
- "The great artist takes what he needs. "
- "Heroes don't often tolerate the company of other heroes. "
- "Seen by itself the David's body might be some unusually taut and vivid work of antiquity; it is only when we come to the head that we are aware of a spiritual force that the ancient world never knew. I suppose that this quality, which I may call heroic, is not a part of most people's idea of civilisation. It involves a contempt for convenience and a sacrifice of all those pleasures that contribute to what we call civilised life. It is the enemy of happiness. "
- "Opera, next to Gothic architecture, is one of the strangest inventions of Western man. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings It could not have been foreseen by any logical process. "
- "People sometimes tell me that they prefer barbarism to civilization. I doubt if they have given it a long enough trial. Like the people of Alexandria, they are bored by civilisation; but all the evidence suggests that the boredom of barbarism is infinitely greater. Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια "
- "It is lack of confidence, more than anything else, that kills a civilisation. We can destroy ourselves by cynicism and disillusion, just as effectively as by bombs. "
- "Lives devoted to Beauty seldom end well. "
- "I wonder if a single thought that has helped forward the human spirit has ever been conceived or written down in an enormous room. "
Popular culture references
- In Episode 37 of the television series Monty Python's Flying Circus, Clark is portrayed in a boxing match against Jack Bodell, then UK heavyweight champion. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy Jack Bodell (born 11 August 1940 in Swadlincote) is a retired English professional boxer who was active during the 1960s and 1970s Since Clark merely paces the ring lecturing about English renaissance art and does not throw any punches, Bodell knocks him out in the first round. Bodell is thus named the new Professor of Fine Art at Oxford.
- In Episode 21 of the television series Second City Television, Clark is portrayed as a guest on the Sammy Maudlin Show, where he promotes a sequel to Civilisation by showing some outtakes from the show. Second City Television (SCTV was a Canadian television Sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between
- In Not the nine o'clock news, Series 2 - Episode 7 First Aired: May 12, 1980, the Under Secretary For Defence, (Rowan Atkinson), after explaining that the world is about to end and that everyone should have as much sex as possible before civilization collapses, sums up with "Eat your heart out, Lord Clark. We're going down laughing. "
- He is mentioned as one of the many members of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band in their eclectic "line up" rattled off in The Intro and the Outro. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band, The Bonzo Dog Dada Band and colloquially as " The Bonzos " are a band created by He is said to be playing the Bass Saxophone which is to reflect the deep bass of his serious voice, quirked up with one of the funniest instruments the Saxophone. [2]
Books
- The Gothic Revival (1928)
- Catalogue of the Windsor Leonardo Drawings (1935)
- Leonardo da Vinci (1939)
- Piero della Francesca (1951)
- Landscape into Art (1949)
- Moments of Vision (1954), the Romanes Lecture for 1954. The Romanes Lecture is a prestigious free public lecture given annually at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- The Nude (1956)
- Looking at Pictures (1960)
- Ruskin Today (1964) (edited and annotated by)
- Rembrandt and the Italian Renaissance (1966)
- Civilisation: A Personal View (1969)
- Blake and Visionary Art (1973)
- Another Part of the Wood (1974) (autobiography)
- Animals and Men (1977)
- The Other Half (1977) (autobiography)
- What is a Masterpiece? (1979)
- Feminine Beauty (1980)
- The Romantic Rebellion (1986)
Further reading
- Meryle Secrest. Kenneth Clark: A Biography (1985)
References
- Vital Vulgarity Clark's role in the founding of ITV (from the Transdiffusion group of TV history websites)
- http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/message/an/localities.africa.general/435.3 – for Clark's second marriage to Nolwen, and her maternal affiliation
- http://www.cousinconnect.com/d/a/11502 – for Lady Clark's mother
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
External links
| Cultural offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Augustus Daniel |
Director of the National Gallery 1933–1946 |
Succeeded by Sir Philip Hendy |
| Preceded by Ernest Pooley |
Chair of the Arts Council of Great Britain 1953–1960 |
Succeeded by Lord Cottesloe |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir Collins Baker |
Surveyor of the King's Pictures 1934–1944 |
Succeeded by Anthony Blunt |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Lord Harewood |
Chancellor of the University of York 1967–1978 |
Succeeded by Michael Swann |
| Media offices | ||
| Preceded by New office |
Chairman of the Independent Television Authority 1954–1957 |
Succeeded by Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New creation |
Baron Clark of Saltwood 1969–1983 |
Succeeded by Extinct |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Clark, Kenneth |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Clark, Kenneth Mackenzie; Clark, Kenneth, Sir; Clark, Baron |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Art historian, broadcaster and museum director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 13, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London, United Kingdom |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 21, 1983 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Hythe, United Kingdom |
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