Quentin Bell
Encyclopedia
Quentin Claudian Stephen Bell (19 August 1910 in London
– 16 December 1996 in Sussex
) was an English
art historian and author.
Bell was the son of Clive Bell
and Vanessa Bell
(née Stephen), and the nephew of Virginia Woolf
(née Stephen). He was educated in London
and at the Quaker Leighton Park School
.
Principally an artist, as a potter, he was drawn to academia. Bell's biography of his famous aunt, Virginia Woolf: A Biography, 2 vols (London: Hogarth Press, 1972), won not only the James Tait Black Memorial Prize
, but also the Duff Cooper Prize and the Yorkshire Post
Book of the Year Award. He also wrote several books on the Bloomsbury Group
and Charleston Farmhouse
.
He later became a lecturer in Art History at the Department of Fine Art, King's College, University of Durham from 1952 to 1959, then professor at Leeds University. In 1964 he was appointed Slade professor of fine art at Oxford University and, in 1965, Ferens professor of fine art at Hull University. He was a professor of art history and theory at the University of Sussex
from 1967 to 1975.
He was married to (Anne) Olivier Bell (née Popham). They had three children: Julian Bell, an artist and muralist; Cressida Bell
, a notable textile designer; and Virginia Bell, the writer of Among the Bohemians and Singled Out.
His older brother was the poet Julian Heward Bell who died in the Spanish Civil War in 1937, aged 29. The writer Angelica Garnett
is his half-sister.
Quentin Bell is buried in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church, West Firle, East Sussex
.
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...
– 16 December 1996 in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
art historian and author.
Bell was the son of Clive Bell
Clive Bell
Arthur Clive Heward Bell was an English Art critic, associated with formalism and the Bloomsbury Group.- Origins :Clive Bell was born in East Shefford, Berkshire, in 1881...
and Vanessa Bell
Vanessa Bell
Vanessa Bell was an English painter and interior designer, a member of the Bloomsbury group, and the sister of Virginia Woolf.- Biography and art :...
(née Stephen), and the nephew of Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
(née Stephen). He was educated 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...
and at the Quaker Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School
Leighton Park School is a co-educational Quaker independent school for both day and boarding pupils. It is situated in the large town of Reading in Berkshire, in South East England...
.
Principally an artist, as a potter, he was drawn to academia. Bell's biography of his famous aunt, Virginia Woolf: A Biography, 2 vols (London: Hogarth Press, 1972), won not only the James Tait Black Memorial Prize
James Tait Black Memorial Prize
Founded in 1919, the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English language and are Britain's oldest literary awards...
, but also the Duff Cooper Prize and the Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
Book of the Year Award. He also wrote several books on the Bloomsbury Group
Bloomsbury Group
The Bloomsbury Group or Bloomsbury Set was a group of writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists who held informal discussions in Bloomsbury throughout the 20th century. This English collective of friends and relatives lived, worked or studied near Bloomsbury in London during the first half...
and Charleston Farmhouse
Charleston Farmhouse
Charleston, the country home of the Bloomsbury group is an example of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant's decorative style within a domestic context and represents the fruition of over sixty years of artistic creativity...
.
He later became a lecturer in Art History at the Department of Fine Art, King's College, University of Durham from 1952 to 1959, then professor at Leeds University. In 1964 he was appointed Slade professor of fine art at Oxford University and, in 1965, Ferens professor of fine art at Hull University. He was a professor of art history and theory at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
from 1967 to 1975.
He was married to (Anne) Olivier Bell (née Popham). They had three children: Julian Bell, an artist and muralist; Cressida Bell
Cressida Bell
Cressida Bell is an English artist and designer, specializing in textiles and interiors.She is the daughter of critic, author and artist Quentin Bell and Anne Olivier Bell. She is the granddaughter of Vanessa Bell and grandniece of Virginia Woolf....
, a notable textile designer; and Virginia Bell, the writer of Among the Bohemians and Singled Out.
His older brother was the poet Julian Heward Bell who died in the Spanish Civil War in 1937, aged 29. The writer Angelica Garnett
Angelica Garnett
Angelica Vanessa Garnett is a British writer and painter.-Early life:She was the illegitimate daughter of the painters Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, sister of Virginia Woolf, and was a member of the Bloomsbury Group...
is his half-sister.
Quentin Bell is buried in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church, West Firle, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
.