Christopher Brown (museum director)
Professor Christopher Brown | |
---|---|
Born | Christopher Paul Hadley Brown 15 April 1948 |
Occupation | Museum director |
Employer | University of Oxford |
Christopher Paul Hadley Brown, CBE (born 15 April 1948) is a British art historian and academic. He was director of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England from 1998 to 2014.[1][2] He is recognised as an authority on Sir Anthony van Dyck.[1]
Early life
[edit]Brown was born on 15 April 1948, in Tangier, Morocco.[3][4] His father flew Spitfires during World War II and joined civil aviation in the post war period, flying for Gibraltar Airways and British European Airways.[4] He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, an all-boys public school in Hertfordshire.[3] He then matriculated into St Catherine's College, Oxford to study history.[3][5] In 1966, he graduated from the University of Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Modern History.[6] This was later promoted to Master of Arts (MA Oxon) as per tradition.[3] He remained at St Catherine's to complete a Diploma in Art History.[3][6] He then undertook post-graduate research at the Courtauld Institute of Art and completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.[5]
Career
[edit]From 1971 to 1998, he worked at the National Gallery, London; first as Curator of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings, eventually as Chief Curator.[2] He was appointed director of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in 1998 and it was largely due to him that the museum, especially the front part, was rebuilt.[citation needed]
Brown sits on the Prix Pictet advisory board.[citation needed]
Honours
[edit]In the 2011 New Year Honours, Brown was appointed commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 'for services to museums'.[7]
He is an honorary fellow of his alma mater St Catherine's College, Oxford.[8]
Bibliography
[edit]Brown's works include:[3]
- —— (1972). Dutch Townscape Painting (Themes and painters in the National Gallery). National Gallery. ISBN 090179144X.
- —— (1975). Bruegel. Phaidon. ISBN 0714816639.
- —— (1976). Dutch Painting. Phaidon. ISBN 0714816914.
- —— (1977). Burgundy. Batsford. ISBN 0713408898. (co-author with Anthony Turner)
- —— (1978). Dutch Townscape Painting (Themes and painters in the National Gallery) (2 ed.). National Gallery.
- —— (1980). Rembrandt – The Complete Paintings (2 vols). Granada. ISBN 0586051341.
- —— (1981). Carel Fabritius – Complete Edition with a Catalogue Raisonne. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0801413940.
- —— (1982). Van Dyck. Phaidon Press Ltd. ISBN 978-0714822112.
- —— (1984). Scenes of Everyday Life – Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting. Ashmolean Museum. ISBN 1854441264.
- —— (1987). Flemish Paintings (The National Gallery schools of painting). National Gallery Company Ltd. ISBN 978-0947645410.
- —— (1991). Anthony Van Dyck: Drawings. Thames & Hudson Ltd. ISBN 978-0500092248.
- —— (1991). Rembrandt : the master & his workshop. New Haven. ISBN 0300051506.
- —— (1996). Rubens's Landscapes. National Gallery Publications. ISBN 185709154X.
- —— (1999). Van Dyck 1599-1641 (with Hans Vlieghe). Rizzoli International Publications. ISBN 978-0847821969.
- —— (2000). Utrecht Painters of the Dutch Golden Age. National Gallery Publications. ISBN 978-1857092141.
Translations
[edit]- Chatelet, Albert (1981). Early Dutch Painting. Phaidon. ISBN 0714820954.
He has also had articles published in a number of journals, including The Times and The Times Literary Supplement.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Van Dyck: What Lies Beneath". Fake or Fortune?. Series 2. Episode 3. 30 September 2012. BBC. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Our Members". National Museum Directors' Council. Archived from the original on 12 June 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Dr Christopher Brown, CBE Authorised Biography". Debrett's People of Today. Debrett's. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Traveller in Time" (PDF). Castaway. oxfordtimes.co.uk. September 2014. pp. 8–15. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Laureation address – Professor Christopher Brown CBE". News. University of St Andrews. 25 June 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Freedom of Oxford for Catz Alumnus". St Catherine's College Oxford. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ "No. 59647". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2010. pp. 6–7.
- ^ "Honorary Fellows". Academic staff. St Catherine's College, Oxford. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- 1948 births
- Living people
- People from Tangier
- People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
- Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford
- English curators
- British art curators
- People associated with the National Gallery, London
- Keepers and directors of the Ashmolean Museum
- Directors of museums in the United Kingdom
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- British historian stubs
- European art historian stubs