Philip Hendy
Encyclopedia
Sir Philip Anstiss Hendy (27 September 1900 – 6 September 1980) was a British art curator who worked both in Britain and overseas, notably the United States
. In 1923 he began his career in art administration as an Assistant Keeper and lecturer at the Wallace Collection
in London
, despite his having no formal training in art history
. His entries for the Wallace Collection's new catalogue and articles for The Burlington Magazine
so impressed the administration of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
in Boston, Massachusetts that the trustees of the museum agreed to fund Hendy's three year stay in Italy
, during which he compiled the Gardner catalogue.
From the Gardner Museum Hendy went on to curate the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
in 1930, where he spent his budget of $10,000 on works by modern European masters including Georges Braque
, Gino Severini
and Walter Sickert
. In 1933 Hendy resigned from the Museum of Fine Arts after a quarrel with the trustees who disapproved of his purchase of Matisse
's 1903 nude Carmelina. Returning to Britain, he was appointed director of the Leeds City Art Gallery in 1934.
The threat posed to Leeds
during the Second World War caused the gallery's works of art to be evacuated to a more rural setting in Temple Newsam
House. The task of relocation, and the subsequent rehanging of the paintings in their new 18th-century surroundings, was undertaken by Hendy, whose work there caught the attention of the Director of the National Gallery
, Kenneth Clark
. Clark, who had similarly overseen the removal of the National Gallery pictures to safety in a North Wales quarry during the war years, appointed Hendy as his successor in 1946.
Hendy's directorship of the National Gallery was marred by criticisms from the press in 1947, after a controversial exhibition of cleaned pictures when it was claimed that many paintings had been ruined by the Gallery's chief restorer Helmut Ruhemann, and in 1961, when the theft of Goya
's portrait of the Duke of Wellington
called the quality of security at the Gallery into question. Hendy retired from the National Gallery in 1967 and from 1968 until 1971 he was a supervisor at the Israel Museum
in Jerusalem.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1923 he began his career in art administration as an Assistant Keeper and lecturer at the Wallace Collection
Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection is a museum in London, with a world-famous range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries with large holdings of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms & armour, porcelain and Old Master paintings arranged into 25 galleries.It was established in...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, despite his having no formal training in art history
History of art
The History of art refers to visual art which may be defined as any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview...
. His entries for the Wallace Collection's new catalogue and articles for The Burlington Magazine
The Burlington Magazine
The Burlington Magazine is a monthly academic journal that covers the fine and decorative arts. It is the longest running art journal in the English language and it is a charitable organisation since 1986. It was established in 1903 by a group of art historians and connoisseurs which included Roger...
so impressed the administration of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...
in Boston, Massachusetts that the trustees of the museum agreed to fund Hendy's three year stay in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, during which he compiled the Gardner catalogue.
From the Gardner Museum Hendy went on to curate the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
in 1930, where he spent his budget of $10,000 on works by modern European masters including Georges Braque
Georges Braque
Georges Braque[p] was a major 20th century French painter and sculptor who, along with Pablo Picasso, developed the art style known as Cubism.-Early Life:...
, Gino Severini
Gino Severini
Gino Severini , was an Italian painter and a leading member of the Futurist movement. For much of his life he divided his time between Paris and Rome. He was associated with neo-classicism and the "return to order" in the decade after the First World War. During his career he worked in a variety of...
and Walter Sickert
Walter Sickert
Walter Richard Sickert , born in Munich, Germany, was a painter who was a member of the Camden Town Group in London. He was an important influence on distinctively British styles of avant-garde art in the 20th century....
. In 1933 Hendy resigned from the Museum of Fine Arts after a quarrel with the trustees who disapproved of his purchase of Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
's 1903 nude Carmelina. Returning to Britain, he was appointed director of the Leeds City Art Gallery in 1934.
The threat posed to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
during the Second World War caused the gallery's works of art to be evacuated to a more rural setting in Temple Newsam
Temple Newsam
Temple Newsam is a Tudor-Jacobean house with grounds landscaped by Capability Brown, in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
House. The task of relocation, and the subsequent rehanging of the paintings in their new 18th-century surroundings, was undertaken by Hendy, whose work there caught the attention of the Director of the National Gallery
National gallery
The National Gallery is an art gallery on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom.National Gallery may also refer to:*Armenia: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan*Australia:**National Gallery of Australia, Canberra...
, Kenneth Clark
Kenneth Clark
Kenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and one of the best-known art historians of his generation...
. Clark, who had similarly overseen the removal of the National Gallery pictures to safety in a North Wales quarry during the war years, appointed Hendy as his successor in 1946.
Hendy's directorship of the National Gallery was marred by criticisms from the press in 1947, after a controversial exhibition of cleaned pictures when it was claimed that many paintings had been ruined by the Gallery's chief restorer Helmut Ruhemann, and in 1961, when the theft of Goya
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
's portrait of the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
called the quality of security at the Gallery into question. Hendy retired from the National Gallery in 1967 and from 1968 until 1971 he was a supervisor at the Israel Museum
Israel Museum
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
in Jerusalem.