Adrian Clark Biography

After working in the City for many years, Adrian Clark started to write about the British mid-twentieth century art world. He began with articles and reviews for The British Art Journal (edited by Professor Robin Simon) and published his first book, British and Irish Art 1945-1951. From War to Festival in 2010. This analysed the way the post-War art world worked: who were the leading artists, dealers, buyers, patrons, journalists and so on.

 

Knowledge gleaned from that research has led to his subsequent books. In 2015 he published (with Jeremy Dronfield)  Queer Saint. The Cultured Life of Peter Watson, which told the gripping story of a wealthy gay art patron. This book received extensive publicity, including a long review in The Independent.

 

In 2018 he published Fighting on All Fronts. John Rothenstein in the Art World. Rothenstein was Director of the Tate from 1938-1964 and in his time there experienced many painful controversies. The main one was a long-running saga known as the Tate Affair, in which he was assailed by a group of hostile people led by maverick art collector and critic, Douglas Cooper. Cooper’s life is the subject of the next book, due to be published in 2023.

 

Adrian has been a Trustee of Pallant House Gallery in Chichester and is currently Chairman of Child Health Research, which supports the Institute of Child Health in Great Ormond Street Hospital.