Kenneth Mackenzie Clark, Baron Clark (13 July 1903 – 21 May 1983), was a British art historian, museum director, and television presenter. He studied many artists and time periods, but he is best known for his work on Italian Renaissance art, especially the art of Leonardo da Vinci. Before becoming famous on television, Clark managed two art galleries in the 1930s and 1940s. He gained widespread recognition in the 1950s through the 1970s by hosting television programs about the arts, with the most famous being the Civilisation series in 1969.
Clark was born into a wealthy family and was exposed to art from a young age. He was influenced by the writings of John Ruskin, who believed that great art should be available to everyone. Later, Clark studied under art experts Bernard Berenson and Roger Fry. At twenty-seven, he became director of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and three years later, he was appointed director of Britain’s National Gallery. During his twelve years at the National Gallery, he worked to make the museum more welcoming to the public. During World War II, when the museum’s collection was moved for safety, Clark allowed the building to host daily concerts, which helped improve people’s spirits during the war.
After the war, Clark spent three years teaching at Oxford as the Slade Professor of Fine Art. He then surprised many by taking a leadership role in the UK’s first commercial television network. After the network launched successfully, he created and presented television programs about the arts, which made him well-known across Britain. He later produced the first color television series about the arts, Civilisation, which aired in 1969 in Britain and other countries.
Clark received many honors, including being knighted at thirty-five, which was unusual for his age. Three decades later, he was made a life peer just before the first broadcast of Civilisation. Thirty years after his death, an exhibition at Tate Britain in London highlighted his work, leading to new discussions about his career. Some people disagreed with his opinions about certain paintings, but his writing skills and efforts to share knowledge about the arts were widely respected. Both the BBC and the Tate later described him as one of the most important figures in British art during the twentieth century.
Life and career
Clark was born on March 12, 1903, at 32 Grosvenor Square, London. He was the only child of Kenneth Mackenzie Clark and his wife, Alice, who was the daughter of James McArthur of Manchester. The Clark family was Scottish and had become wealthy through the textile industry. Clark’s great-great-grandfather invented the cotton spool, and the Clark Thread Company in Paisley became a large business. Kenneth Clark senior worked briefly as a director of the company and retired in his mid-twenties, living a life of leisure. The family owned homes in Suffolk and Argyll and spent winters on the French Riviera. Kenneth senior was known for his love of sports, gambling, and drinking. Clark had little in common with his father but always felt affection for him. His mother, Alice, was quiet and distant, but Clark received care and affection from a devoted nanny.
As an only child who was not very close to his parents, Clark often spent time alone as a boy but was generally happy. He enjoyed taking long walks and talking to himself, a habit he later said helped him become a broadcaster: “Television is a form of soliloquy.” His father collected pictures, and Clark was allowed to rearrange them. He showed talent for drawing and won prizes as a schoolboy. At age seven, he visited a Japanese art exhibition in London, which deeply influenced his artistic interests. He later said, “dumb with delight, I felt that I had entered a new world.”
Clark attended Wixenford School and later studied at Winchester College from 1917 to 1922. The school was known for its strong focus on education and arts, though Clark disliked its emphasis on sports. The headmaster, Montague Rendall, was a fan of Italian art and inspired Clark to appreciate works by artists like Giotto and Botticelli. The school library had the writings of John Ruskin, which Clark read extensively and which shaped his views on art and society.
Clark earned a scholarship to Trinity College, Oxford, where he studied modern history. He graduated in 1925 with a second-class degree. At Oxford, he was influenced by art critic Roger Fry, who helped him understand modern French painting, especially the work of Paul Cézanne. Clark also worked with Charles F. Bell, a museum curator, who encouraged him to study the Gothic Revival in architecture. Though Clark’s main interest was the Renaissance, his admiration for Ruskin led him to write his first book, The Gothic Revival (1928). During his time at Oxford, he also helped revise a book on Florentine painters with Bernard Berenson, an expert on Italian art.
In 1929, Clark was asked to organize an exhibition of Italian art at the Royal Academy, which featured masterpieces from private collections. The exhibition, covering art from the 13th to 19th centuries, was widely praised but later criticized for being used as propaganda by Italian leader Benito Mussolini. Despite some criticism, Clark’s work gained recognition. He also helped catalog Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings at Windsor Castle.
In 1931, Clark became Keeper of the Fine Art Department at the Ashmolean Museum after Bell retired. He oversaw the construction of a museum extension and acquired items like the Great Bookcase, a piece of Victorian furniture. Though Victorian art was unpopular in the 1930s, Clark believed it should be included in the collection. A later curator noted that Clark transformed the museum’s collections and displays.
In 1934, Clark became director of the National Gallery in London after being recommended by Lord Lee, who believed Clark could bring harmony to the gallery. Clark was hesitant to take the job, feeling too young and unsure about balancing scholarship with administration. He accepted the role and worked to make art accessible to the public, creating initiatives that expanded the gallery’s reach.
Family and personal life
In 1927, Clark married a fellow student named Elizabeth Winifred Martin, who was known as "Jane" (1902–1976). Jane was the daughter of Robert Macgregor Martin, a businessman from Dublin, and his wife, Emily Winifred Dickson. The couple had three children: Alan, born in 1928, and twins, Colette (called Celly, pronounced "Kelly") and Colin, born in 1932.
During the 1930s, Clark and his wife lived in a large house in Portland Place and hosted many social events. They became well-known figures in London’s high society, intellectual circles, and fashion world.
The Clarks’ marriage was loving but also challenging. Clark had many romantic relationships outside of marriage, and Jane also had affairs, including one with the composer William Walton. Jane experienced emotional difficulties, struggled with alcohol, and later suffered a stroke. Clark supported her throughout these challenges. The family’s relationship with their children was sometimes difficult, especially with their oldest son, Alan. Clark believed Alan held strong political views that aligned with fascism, though he also saw Alan as the most capable member of the family. Alan later became a Conservative member of Parliament and a well-known writer. Colin, the youngest son, became a filmmaker who directed his father in a television series in the 1970s. Colette, the twin daughter, worked as an official and board member of the Royal Opera House. She lived longer than her parents and brothers and was the main source for a biography about her father published in 2016.
During World War II, the Clarks lived in a small house in Hampstead called Capo Di Monte, which was actually three cottages combined. Later, they moved to a larger home nearby called Upper Terrace House. In 1953, Clark purchased Norman Saltwood Castle in Kent, which became the family’s home. In his later years, Clark gave the castle to his son Alan and moved to a house built specifically for him on the castle grounds.
Jane Clark died in 1976. Her death was expected, but Clark was deeply upset. Some of his female friends hoped he would marry again. His closest friend, Janet Woods, a photographer and wife of an engraver named Reynolds Stone, was disappointed when Clark announced his plan to marry Nolwen de Janzé-Rice, the daughter of Frederic and Alice de Janzé. The family believed Clark was acting too quickly in marrying someone he did not know well. However, the wedding took place in November 1977. Clark and his second wife remained married until his death.
Clark’s parents were members of the Liberal Party. The ideas of John Ruskin, a writer and thinker, influenced Clark when he was young. Mary Beard, a journalist, wrote in a newspaper that Clark always voted for the Labour Party. Clark believed in God but did not believe in atheism. He thought the Church of England was too focused on worldly matters. Before he died, Clark joined the Roman Catholic Church.
Honours and legacy
Kenneth Clark received many honors and titles throughout his life. In 1938, he was named Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. In 1949, he became a Fellow of the British Academy. In 1959, he was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. In 1969, he was granted a life peerage. In 1974, he was named Companion of Literature. In 1976, he was made a Member of the Order of Merit. Overseas honors included being named Commander of the Legion of Honour in France, Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland, and a member of the Order of Merit in Austria.
Clark was a member or honorary member of several prestigious organizations, including the Conseil Artistique des Musées Nationaux in France, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Institute of Architects, the Swedish Academy, the Spanish Academy, the Florentine Academy, the Académie française, and the Institut de France. He received honorary degrees from universities such as Bath, Cambridge, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Oxford, Sheffield, Warwick, York, and in the United States from Columbia and Brown universities. He was also an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Royal College of Art. Other awards included the Serena Medal from the British Academy (for Italian Studies), the Gold Medal and Citation of Honour from New York University, and the US National Gallery of Art Medal.
Winchester College, Clark’s former school, hosts an annual art history competition called the Kenneth Clark Prize. The winner receives a golden medal named after Clark, sculpted by Anthony Smith, a fellow alumnus. At the Courtauld Institute in London, a lecture hall is named in Clark’s honor.
In 2014, the Tate held an exhibition titled "Kenneth Clark: Looking for Civilisation," which highlighted Clark’s role as a key figure in 20th-century British art. The exhibition used works from Clark’s personal collection and other sources to explore his contributions as an art historian, collector, public servant, and broadcaster. The BBC described him as "arguably the most influential figure in 20th-century British art." Clark’s belief that Victorian art and architecture deserved serious attention helped shift public opinion over time. Art historian Ayla Lepine noted that Clark’s writings and support for John Ruskin’s work contributed to a new appreciation of Victorian art and architecture.
Clark knew his traditional views on art would conflict with Marxist ideas in the art world. He was not surprised when younger critics, such as John Berger, criticized him in the 1970s. In the 21st century, critics often praise Clark’s books and television series more than his role as a collector. Richard Dorment, a critic, noted that Clark made many good purchases but also some mistakes, such as misattributing works to artists like Michelangelo and Pontormo, and acquiring poor examples of works by Seurat and Corot.
Among Clark’s books is one described by Dorment as "the best introduction to the art of Leonardo da Vinci ever written." Other notable works include his book on Piero della Francesca (1951), The Nude (1956), and Rembrandt and the Italian Renaissance (1966). Critic Jackie Wullschlager wrote in 2014 that Clark excelled as a writer, calling him "unrivalled since Ruskin for clarity, knowledge, and strong moral beliefs." James Hall of The Guardian compared Clark to Ruskin and Pater, calling him "the most seductive writer on art since those figures." James Stevens Curl, in The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture, ranked Clark higher than Ruskin as a writer, noting Clark’s ability to write clearly and elegantly without excessive style. Hall concluded that Clark’s lively writing is especially valuable in an era when many art historians write in a dry, uninteresting way.