Kenneth Clark: Life, Art, and ‘Civilisation’

Stourton (Great Collectors of Our Time) traces the extraordinary trajectory of the life of Kenneth Clark, the youngest director of the British National Gallery (appointed at 29), lifelong educator and popularizer of the arts, and star of BBC’s groundbreaking documentary series Civilisation, which propelled the tweed-wearing polymath into improbable celebrity status on both sides of the Atlantic. Though Clark’s wide circle of acquaintances included the royal family and a staggering array of famous artists, writers, composers, and celebrities, Stourton throughout emphasizes Clark’s Ruskinian mission to make art accessible to everyone, as movingly exemplified by the free concerts and Picture of the Month exhibitions Clark hosted at the mostly empty of artwork British National Gallery during WWII to keep morale alive. But Stourton’s meticulously researched biography also addresses Clark’s many contradictions and eccentricities, like his acrimonious relationship with his wife, and his many convoluted extramarital romances, which Clark entertained into his 70s, supplying humanity to a life that outwardly radiated with a Midas touch. Written with a relish for anecdote (and with Clark’s wide social circle, there are many to be told), this book may suffer from an American readership largely unfamiliar with Clark; but those who have seen his epochal Civilisation series will appreciate the chance to explore the life of the man hailed by Neil MacGregor, a former director of the British Museum, as “the most brilliant cultural populist of the twentieth century.” B&w photos. (Nov.)