John Rothenstein
Sir John Knewstub Maurice Rothenstein CBE ( born July 11, 1901 in London, † February 27, 1992 ) was a British art historian and long-time director of the Tate Gallery.
Biography
The son of the painter, draftsman and printmaker William Rothenstein and brother of the graphic artist Sir William Francis Michael Rothstein graduated from post-school study at Worcester College, University of Oxford and University College London. After finishing his studies and his conversion from Judaism to Roman Catholic Church, he went to the United States, where until 1929 he worked as a teacher from 1927. After his return to Britain in 1931 he earned a Ph.D. in History with a dissertation on Nineteenth - Century Painting: A Study in Conflict. He was then in 1932 director of the Municipal Art Galleries of Leeds and Sheffield.
Subsequently, he was the successor of James Bolivar Manson in 1938 director of the Tate Gallery, and has held this position for more than a quarter century until his replacement by Norman Reid 1964. In this role, he was attacked in the 1950s by the art historian, art critic and art collector Douglas Cooper because of his lack of support of Modern Art, whereupon Rothstein, utterly irritated, at a party with a punch knocked him to the ground. However, Cooper tried in vain to drive him from office.
After completing his work at the Tate Gallery in 1964 he successor of Charles Percy Snow as rector of the University of St. Andrews. In 1967, he was replaced in this function by Learie Constantine.
After that, he was a visiting professor at Fordham University from 1967 to 1968, the Agnes Scott College in Atlanta from 1969 to 1970 and the Brooklyn College 1971 to 1972. Recently, he served as visiting professor of art history at the University of California, Irvine (UCI ) in the year. Besides 1973, he was adviser to the 1969 Anglo-American Sovereign American Arts Corporation.
Among his numerous art historical publications:
- The Portrait Drawings of William Rothenstein, 1926
- First Nudes Eric Gill, 1927
- Modern English Painters (1952 to 1973)
- British Art Since 1900: an Anthology (1962 )
- An introduction to English painting (1965 )
- A pot of paint; the artists of the 1890's, 1970.
His autobiography was published in three volumes under the titles Summer's Lease: Being Volume One of an Autobiography (1965 ), Brave Day, Night Hideous: Autobiography, 1939-1965 (1966) and Time's thievish progress: autobiography (1970).
Swell
- Biography ( DICTIONARY OF ART HISTORIANS )
- CHAMBERS Biographical Dictionary, pp. 1311, 2002, ISBN 0-550-10051-2