John Russell (art critic)
Encyclopedia
John Russell CBE
(22 January 1919 – 23 August 2008) was a British American
art critic
.
, England, in 1919. He attended
St Paul's School and then Magdalen College
, Oxford
.
He was an unpaid intern at the Tate Gallery
in 1940, but moved to the country after the gallery was bombed. During World War II
he worked in Naval Intelligence for the Admiralty
. There he met Ian Fleming
, who helped to secure Russell a reviewing position at The Sunday Times
. Russell succeeded a fired critic at The Sunday Times in 1950.
Art critic Hilton Kramer
of the New York Times hired Russell in 1974. Russell was chief art critic there from 1982 to 1990.
and books on Seurat (1965) and Vuillard (1971).
CBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
(22 January 1919 – 23 August 2008) was a British American
British American
British Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in the United Kingdom . The term is seldom used by people to refer to themselves and is used primarily as a demographic or historical research term...
art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
.
Life and career
John Russell was born in Fleet, HampshireFleet, Hampshire
Fleet is a town and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England, located 37 miles south west of London. It is part of Hart District. The 2007 population forecast for Fleet was 31,687.-History:...
, England, in 1919. He attended
St Paul's School and then Magdalen College
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
He was an unpaid intern at the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
in 1940, but moved to the country after the gallery was bombed. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he worked in Naval Intelligence for the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
. There he met Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
, who helped to secure Russell a reviewing position at The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
. Russell succeeded a fired critic at The Sunday Times in 1950.
Art critic Hilton Kramer
Hilton Kramer
Hilton Kramer is a U.S. art critic and cultural commentator.Kramer was educated at Syracuse University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Indiana University and the New School for Social Research. He worked as the editor of Arts Magazine, art critic for The Nation, and from 1965 to 1982,...
of the New York Times hired Russell in 1974. Russell was chief art critic there from 1982 to 1990.
Marriages
Russell was married to:- Alexandrina, Countess Apponyi de Nagy-Appony, the former wife of Julius Lanczy. They married in 1945, divorced in 1951, and had one child, Lavinia (married Sir Nicholas Grimshaw).
- Vera Poliakoff (died 1992), married 1956, divorced 1971. Also known professionally as Vera Lindsay, she was an artist and actress, daughter of Vladimir Poliakoff and former wife of British journalist Sir Gerald Reid Barry, with whom she had two sons.
- Rosamund BernierL'ŒILL'ŒIL is a French magazine created by Rosamond Bernier and her second husband, Georges Bernier, in 1955 to celebrate and reflect contemporary art creation.-External links:**...
(née Rosamond Margaret Rosenbaum, formerly Mrs Georges Bernier, formerly Mrs Lewis Riley), a lecturer and founder of the magazine of the art magazine L'ŒILL'ŒILL'ŒIL is a French magazine created by Rosamond Bernier and her second husband, Georges Bernier, in 1955 to celebrate and reflect contemporary art creation.-External links:**...
. They married in 1975.
Books
His books include:- John Russell: Marc Klionsky
- John Russell: Matisse, Father & Son, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1999, ISBN 0 81094378 6
- John Russell: The Meanings of Modern Art (1981, 2nd revised edition 1992)
- John Russell, Erich KleiberErich KleiberErich Kleiber was an Austrian conductor.- Biography :Born in Vienna, Kleiber studied in Prague...
: "A memoir" (London 1957) - John Russell: Paris (London, 1960)
- John Russell: Shakespeare's Country
- John Russell: Switzerland
and books on Seurat (1965) and Vuillard (1971).