Charles Townsend Harrison (11 February 1942

Chesham Chesham (, , or ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, south-east of the county town of Aylesbury, north-west of central London, and part of the London commuter belt. It is in the Chess Valley, surrounded by farmla ...

, Buckinghamshire – 6 August 2009

Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshir ...

, Oxfordshire), BA Hons (Cantab), MA (Cantab), PhD (London) was a UK art historian who taught

Art History Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

for many years and was Emeritus Professor of History and Theory of Art at the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

. Although he denied being an artist himself, he was a full participant and catalyst in the Art and Language group. Charles Harrison was educated at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

and the

Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist coll ...

in London from 1961 to 1967. He was tutor in

at the Open University from 1977–2005, Reader in Art History there from 1985-1994, Professor of the History and

Theory of Art A theory of art is intended to contrast with a definition of art. Traditionally, ''definitions'' are composed of necessary and sufficient conditions and a single counterexample overthrows such a definition. ''Theorizing'' about art, on the other ...

from 1994–2008, Professor Emeritus from 2008–2009, and Visiting Professor at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

in 1991 and 1996, and Visiting Professor at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

in 1997. Charles Harrison became a member of the Art & Language artist group in 1971 and was an editor of Art-Language. He was also a curator. As a member of Art & Language, Charles Harrison was a exhibitor at

Documenta 5 documenta 5 was the fifth edition of documenta, a quinquennial contemporary art exhibition. It was held between 30 June and 8 October 1972 in Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hes ...

in Kassel in 1972 with the ''Project Index 0001'' in the Idea + Idea / Light department, together with Art & Language member

Terry Atkinson Terry Atkinson (born 1939) is an English artist. Atkinson was born in Thurnscoe, near Barnsley, Yorkshire. He lives in Leamington Spa, England with his wife, artist Sue Atkinson, with whom he has frequently collaborated. In 1967, he began to ...

, David Bainbridge, Ian Burn, Michael Baldwin, Harold Hurrell, Mel Ramsden and

Joseph Kosuth Joseph Kosuth (; born January 31, 1945), an American conceptual artist, lives in New York and London,

. With Art & Language he was also billed at

Documenta 6 documenta 6 was the sixth edition of documenta, a quinquennial contemporary art exhibition. It was held between 24 June and 2 October 1977 in Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hess ...

(1977) and

Documenta 7 ''documenta 7'' was the seventh edition of documenta, a quinquennial contemporary art exhibition. It was held between 19 June and 28 October 1982 in Kassel, West Germany. The artistic director was Rudi Fuchs Rudolf Herman "Rudi" Fuchs (born ...

in 1982. Since 1977, Art & Language has been continued as a project by Baldwin and Ramsden. It is a familiar, rich oeuvre of objects and images. Many texts are written by Charles Harrison. In 1993 Charles Harrison with Paul Wood edited ''Art in Theory, 1900–1990: An Anthology of Changing Idea''s, which examines the unique reliance on theory in 20th-century art from Post-Impressionism to Postmodernism.

Quotes

On English art "The history of modern art in England is to a large extent a history of delayed and mediated responses." On the value of art " vidness in representation must entail the reconciliation of technical concerns for expressive form and surface on the one hand with the requirements of realistic description on the other...the more the activity of art tends toward the pursuit of the one at the expense of the other, the smaller the value is to be attached to either."

Publications

* ''Ben Nicholson: Catalogue of an Exhibition held at the Tate Gallery,'' with Ben Nicholson, Tate Gallery, 1969 * ''The British Avant Garde,'' with Donald H Karshan, London: Studio International, 1971 * ''Modern Art and Modernism: a Critical Anthology,'' with Francis Frascina & Deirdre Paul, Paul Chapman Publishing & The Open University, 1982 * ''A Provisional History of Art & Language,'' with Fred Orton, 1982 * ''Abstract Expressionism and Jackson Pollock,'' with Francis Frascina, Open University, 1983 * ''English Art and Modernism,'' Open University, 1983 & New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994 * ''Introduction, Modernism, Problems and Methods,'' Open University, 1984 * ''Modernism, Criticism and Realism: Alternative Contexts for Art,'' 1985 * ''Alfred Wallis, Christopher Wood, Ben Nicholson,'' with Margaret Gardiner, Alfred Wallis & Christopher Wood,

Scottish Arts Council The Scottish Arts Council ( gd, Comhairle Ealain na h-Alba, sco, Scots Airts Cooncil) was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the ...

, 1987 * ''A Quiet Revolution: British Sculpture Since 1965,'' with Graham Beal, Lynne Cooke &

Mary Jane Jacob Mary Jane Jacob is an American curator, writer, and educator from Chicago, Illinois. She is a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is the Executive Director of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies. She has held posts as Chief C ...

, London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1987 * ''Art in Theory, 1900-90: Anthology,'' with Paul Wood, 1992 * ''Modernism in Dispute: Art Since the Forties,'' with Paul Wood, Francis Frascina & Jonathan Harris, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993 * ''Modernity and Modernism: French Painting in the Nineteenth Century,'' with Paul Wood, Francis Frascina & Jonathan Harris, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993 * ''Primitivism, Cubism, Abstraction: the Early Twentieth Century,'' with Francis Frascina & Gillian Perry, New Haven: Yale Univ Press, 1993 * ''Modernism (Movements in Modern Art series),'' Tate Publishing, 1997 * ''Art in Theory 1815-1900,'' with Paul Wood & Jason Gaiger, 1998 * ''Art in Theory 1648-1815,'' with Paul Wood & Jason Gaiger, 2000 * ''Modernismus,'' 2001 * ''2001 Retrospective - Master Stone Sculptors of Zimbabwe,'' Chapungu Sculptures Ltd, 2001 * ''Blast to Freeze: British Art in the 20th Century,'' with Andrew Causey, Richard Cork, David Curtis, and

Penelope Curtis Penelope Curtis (born 1961) is a British art historian and curator. Fom 2015 to 2020 she was the director of Lisbon's Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, and from 2010 to 2015 director of Tate Britain. She is the author of several monographs on sculpture ...

, publ: Hatje Cantz; illustrated edition, 2002 * ''Essays on Art & Language,'' MIT Press, 2003 * ''Conceptual Art and Painting: Further Essays on Art & Language,'' MIT Press, 2003 * ''Art in Theory, 1900-2000: an Anthology of Changing Ideas,'' with Paul Wood, 2003 * ''Painting the Difference: Sex and Spectator in Modern Art,'' University of Chicago Press, 2005 * ''Slideshow,'' with Darsie Alexander & Robert Storr, Pennsylvania State University Press, 2005 * ''Art and Text,'' with Dave Beech, Will Hill & Aimee Selby, Black Dog Publishing, 2009 * ''An Introduction to Art,'' New Haven: Yale University Press; 2009 * ''Since 1950: Art and Its Criticism,'' New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009 * ''Charles Harrison: Looking Back'', London:

Ridinghouse Ridinghouse is a British book publisher specialising in art. Ridinghouse’s publications are distributed by Cornerhouse in the UK and Europe, and by RAM Publications + Distribution, Inc. in North America. Company history Ridinghouse was foun ...

, 2011

Literature and sources

* Exhibition catalog: documenta 5th Survey of Reality - Imagery Today. Catalog (as a folder) Volume 1: (Material), Volume 2: (List of exhibits), Kassel 1972 * documenta archive (ed.); Resubmission d5 - A survey of the archive on documenta 1972. Kassel / Ostfildern 2001, ISBN 3-7757-1121-X * Catalog for documenta 6: Volume 1: Painting, sculpture / environment, performance; Volume 2: photography, film, video; Volume 3: Hand drawings, utopian design, books; Kassel 1977, ISBN 3-920453-00-X * Catalog: documenta 7 Kassel. Volume 1: (Visual Biographies of the Artists); Volume 2: (Current works of the artists); Kassel 1982, ISBN 3-920453-02-6 * (documenta 10 catalog): Politics - Poetics - the book on documenta X. Kassel / Ostfildern 1997, ISBN 3-89322-909-4 (German), ISBN 3-89322-911-6 (English) * Daniel Marzona: Conceptual Art. Cologne 2005, ISBN 3-8228-2959-5

References

External links

Jo Melvin, ''Charles Harrison: Art historian and critic celebrated for his work on the journals "Art-Language and Studio International," ''The Independent'', 7 September 2009

''Charles Harrison: art historian,'' The Times, 25 August 2009

''Recent Tributes to Charles Harrison at the OU''

Art & Language in the Mulier Gallery

Art & Language in the Lisson Gallery

Art & Language: Blurting in A & L online

Artist group page in Artfacts
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Charles 1942 births 2009 deaths Academics of the Open University Alumni of King's College, Cambridge British art historians Art & Language