John White (art historian)
Encyclopedia
John Edward Clement Twarowski White, CBE
(b. 1924) is an English former art historian and was formerly the head of the Department of History of Art at the University College London
(UCL). In 1992 he was made an Honorary Fellow of UCL. He is also the author of a number of books on Medieval
and Renaissance art, as well as on the artist Duccio
of Siena
.
White went straight from Ampleforth School
to the Royal Air Force
, where he became a Spitfire
flying instructor based in Canada
. After the war he came back to the United Kingdom
and became a student of Anthony Blunt
at the Courtauld Institute of Art
, University of London
, and who was keeper of the Queen's art collection and subsequently exposed as a Russian spy. White has a number of mentions in Blunt's biography.
White went from the Courtauld Institute of Art
to Cambridge and then on to an academic career which included the Art History department at Johns Hopkins University
. Alexander White visiting professor University of Chicago
, 1958; Pilkington professor of history of art University of Manchester
and director of Whitworth Art Gallery 1959-66, Ferens visiting professor of fine art University of Hull
19961-62; Chairman Art Advisory Panel NW Museum and Art Gallery Services 1966-66; professor of history of art and chairman Department of History of Art Johns Hopkins University Baltimore 1977-71;UCL: Durning-Lawrence professor of history of art UCL 1971-90, vi
White is also a poet with a number of volumes to his credit, including a book of English
poems translated into Japanese
and published in Japan
called The Breath in the Flute. Although not a Buddhist, he has had a long association with a Buddhist temple, Shogyoji, a Shin Buddhist (Pure Land) Temple in southern Japan, as well as a branch of the temple, Three Wheels, in London
.
In his later years, White is a glider
pilot, having taken up gliding 50 years after he last piloted a Spitfire. He flies at Dunstable
and holds the diamond certificate for glider pilots, having completed 500 km and 25.000 in altitude (he achieved this after his 80th birthday). He resides in London.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(b. 1924) is an English former art historian and was formerly the head of the Department of History of Art at the University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
(UCL). In 1992 he was made an Honorary Fellow of UCL. He is also the author of a number of books on Medieval
Medieval art
The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time and place, over 1000 years of art history in Europe, and at times the Middle East and North Africa...
and Renaissance art, as well as on the artist Duccio
Duccio
Duccio di Buoninsegna was one of the most influential Italian artists of his time. Born in Siena, Tuscany, he worked mostly with pigment and egg tempera and like most of his contemporaries painted religious subjects...
of Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
.
White went straight from Ampleforth School
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...
to the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, where he became a Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
flying instructor based in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. After the war he came back to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and became a student of Anthony Blunt
Anthony Blunt
Anthony Frederick Blunt , was a British art historian who was exposed as a Soviet spy late in his life.Blunt was Professor of the History of Art at the University of London, director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, Surveyor of the King's Pictures and London...
at the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, and who was keeper of the Queen's art collection and subsequently exposed as a Russian spy. White has a number of mentions in Blunt's biography.
White went from the Courtauld Institute of Art
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The Courtauld is one of the premier centres for the teaching of art history in the world; it was the only History of Art department in the UK to be awarded a top...
to Cambridge and then on to an academic career which included the Art History department at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. Alexander White visiting professor University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, 1958; Pilkington professor of history of art University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
and director of Whitworth Art Gallery 1959-66, Ferens visiting professor of fine art University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
19961-62; Chairman Art Advisory Panel NW Museum and Art Gallery Services 1966-66; professor of history of art and chairman Department of History of Art Johns Hopkins University Baltimore 1977-71;UCL: Durning-Lawrence professor of history of art UCL 1971-90, vi
White is also a poet with a number of volumes to his credit, including a book of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
poems translated into Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and published in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
called The Breath in the Flute. Although not a Buddhist, he has had a long association with a Buddhist temple, Shogyoji, a Shin Buddhist (Pure Land) Temple in southern Japan, as well as a branch of the temple, Three Wheels, 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...
.
In his later years, White is a glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
pilot, having taken up gliding 50 years after he last piloted a Spitfire. He flies at Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
and holds the diamond certificate for glider pilots, having completed 500 km and 25.000 in altitude (he achieved this after his 80th birthday). He resides in London.
Selected works
- The Birth and Rebirth of Pictorial Space, London : Faber and Faber, 1957.
- book reviewed by Alfred Neumeyer in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Sep., 1958), pp. 130-131, Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The American Society for Aesthetics
- Art and Architecture in Italy, 1250 to 1400, London/Baltimore : Penguin Books, 1966, 2nd edn 1987 (now Yale History of Art series).