Charles Saumarez Smith
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Sir Charles Robert Saumarez Smith (born 28 May 1954) is a British cultural historian specialising in the history of art, design and architecture. He was the Secretary and Chief Executive of the
Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
in London from 2007 until he stepped down in 2018. He was replaced by Axel Rϋger, who took up the position in 2019. Before, he was director of the National Portrait Gallery from 1994 to 2002 and director of the
National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...
from 2002 to 2007. He has published various articles and books, including ''The Company of Artists:The Origins of the Royal Academy of Arts in London'' and was a judge at the
World Architecture Festival The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is an annual festival and awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious events dedicated to the architecture and development industry. The first four events were held in Barcelona, from 2008 to 2011, at which p ...
2014 in Singapore and the Young Masters 2014 awards in London. Saumarez Smith was knighted in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List.


Biography

Charles Saumarez Smith was born in an old rectory in the
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
village of Redlynch, near
Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
. The son of William Hanbury Saumarez Smith, a former Indian civil servant and the great-grandson of the 19th-century Archbishop of Sydney William Saumarez Smith. His older brother was the London
bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librari ...
John Saumarez Smith John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
. He was educated at
Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...
, where a
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
portrait belonging to the school first awakened his interest in art.Maev Kennedy
Dandy in the Gallery
''The Guardian'', 23 February 2003. Accessed 15 June 2007
He then studied history and history of art at
King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...
, gaining a double first, and, following graduation, was awarded a Henry Fellowship to study at the
Fogg Art Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He studied for his doctorate under
Michael Baxandall Michael David Kighley Baxandall, FBA (18 August 1933 – 12 August 2008) was a British art historian and a professor emeritus of Art History at the University of California, Berkeley. He taught at the Warburg Institute, University of London, and ...
at the
Warburg Institute The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of cultural history and the role of images in culture – cros ...
, London, and was awarded a PhD in 1986 for his thesis entitled "
Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, PC (c. 1669 – 1 May 1738) was a British nobleman, peer, and statesman. Charles Howard was the eldest son of Edward Howard, 2nd Earl of Carlisle, and inherited his title on the death of his father in 1692 ...
and the architecture of
Castle Howard Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, within the civil parish of Henderskelfe, located north of York. It is a private residence and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years. ...
". Meanwhile, he was appointed Christie's Research Fellow in the History of Applied Arts at
Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...
and taught part-time in the Department of Art History and Theory at the
University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the an ...
. In 1982, Saumarez Smith was appointed by Sir
Roy Strong Sir Roy Colin Strong, (born 23 August 1935) is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has served as director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. ...
as an Assistant Keeper at the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
, where he helped to establish the V&A/RCA MA Course in the History of Design and was a contributor to ''The New Museology'', published in 1989. In 1990, his PhD thesis was published by Faber and Faber under the title ''The Building of Castle Howard'' and was awarded the Alice David Hitchcock medallion. In the same year, he was appointed as Head of Research at the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...
in London. In 1994, he published a book on 18th century interior design, before becoming director of the National Portrait Gallery. There, he and his staff more than doubled visitor figures by staging exhibitions of contemporary photographers, including
Annie Leibovitz Anna-Lou Leibovitz ( ; born October 2, 1949) is an American portrait photographer best known for her engaging portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid photo of Jo ...
,
Richard Avedon Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', ''Vogue'' and ''Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and danc ...
, Bruce Weber and the fashion photographer
Mario Testino Mario Eduardo Testino Silva OBE HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer. His work has featured internationally in magazines such as ''Vogue, V Magazine,'' '' Vanity Fair'' and '' GQ.'' He has also cre ...
. He also presided over the building of an extension to the NPG in 2000, the Ondaatje Wing, designed by Sir Jeremy Dixon and Edward Jones. From 2001 to 2002, Saumarez Smith held the Slade Professorship at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
, where he lectured on "The State of the Museum".Further particulars: Slade Professorship of Fine Art
Accessed 5 September 2007
Saumarez Smith was a candidate to be Director at the V&A and the
British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
before becoming the director of the
National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...
in 2002. The main success of his directorship was the purchase of
Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...
's ''
Madonna of the Pinks The ''Madonna of the Pinks'' (c. 1506 – 1507, it, La Madonna dei garofani) is an early devotional painting usually attributed to Italian Renaissance master Raphael. It is painted in oil painting, oils on fruitwood and now hangs in the National ...
'' in 2004 for £22 million, raised by a successful public appeal. However, few other major acquisitions were made by the National Gallery under Saumarez Smith due to the inflated prices commanded for Old Master paintings. He was a vocal critic of
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
's government for giving too little money towards museum funding, and for not creating tax incentives for potential donors to museums.Martin Gayford
Wanted – National Gallery Chief to Muster Cash
Bloomberg.com, 23 April 2007. Accessed 9 September 2007
2006 saw the opening of a new ground-floor entrance hall at the National Gallery, designed, like the Ondaatje Wing, by Dixon Jones architects. This project was already begun under Saumarez Smith's predecessor
Neil MacGregor Robert Neil MacGregor (born 16 June 1946) is a British art historian and former museum director. He was editor of the ''The Burlington Magazine, Burlington Magazine'' from 1981 to 1987, then Director of the National Gallery, London, from 1987 ...
. In 2007, news broke of a power struggle between Peter Scott, head of the Gallery's board of trustees, and the director.John Walsh
Charles Saumarez Smith: Fine art dandy
. ''The Independent'' 31 March 2007. Accessed 15 June 2007
At the same, time it became known that Saumarez Smith was applying for the newly created post of Secretary and Chief Executive at the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
. He resigned from the National Gallery on 26 July 2007 and was succeeded by Martin Wyld, head conservator at the Gallery, as acting director, until
Nicholas Penny Sir Nicholas Beaver Penny (born 21 December 1949) is a British art historian. From 2008 to 2015 he was director of the National Gallery in London. Early life Penny was educated at Shrewsbury School before he studied English at St Catharine ...
was appointed permanent director in the spring of 2008.Martin Bailey
National Gallery faces worst acquisitions crisis in over a century
''The Art Newspaper'', 2 July 2007. Accessed 3 July 2007
In his time at the Royal Academy of Arts, Saumarez Smith was responsible for restoring th
Keeper’s House
to its former glory and the development of plans for
6 Burlington Gardens __NOTOC__ 6 Burlington Gardens is a Grade II*-listed building in Mayfair, London. Built for the University of London, it has been used by various institutions in the course of its history, including the Civil Service Commission, the British M ...
, a Grade II*-
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
designed by Sir
James Pennethorne Sir James Pennethorne (4 June 1801 – 1 September 1871) was a British architect and planner, particularly associated with buildings and parks in central London. Life Early years Pennethorne was born in Worcester, and travelled to London in 1 ...
immediately north of the Royal Academy, including the appointment of the architect Sir
David Chipperfield Sir David Alan Chipperfield, (born 18 December 1953) is an English architect. He established David Chipperfield Architects in 1985. His major works include the River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire (1989–1998); the Museum ...
. In the lead-up to the RA's 250th anniversary in 2018, Saumarez Smith oversaw annual fund-raising, revenue funding for the RA, and capital fund-raising for the capital project, which included a successful application to the
Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
for a grant of £12.7 million. He presided over the exhibition programme including ''Anish Kapoor'', ''Bronze'', ''Sensing Spaces'', ''Anselm Kiefer'' and the 2012 blockbuster ''David Hockney, the Bigger Picture'' which was the most visited exhibition of that year in the UK. In 2014 Saumarez Smith appointed White Cube exhibition curator and broadcaster
Tim Marlow Timothy John Marlow (born 1962) is a British writer, broadcaster and art historian who is the Director and Chief Executive of the Design Museum,Hannah McGivern (October 7, 2019)Tim Marlow leaves Royal Academy of Arts to head London’s Design Mu ...
as the first Director of Artistic Programmes. Saumarez Smith is a former Visiting Professor at
Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...
,Queen Mary announces appointment of Charles Saumarez Smith as Visiting Professor
(Press release.) Accessed 15 June 2007
a Trustee of
Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
and the
Royal Drawing School The Royal Drawing School is a not-for-profit educational organisation and registered charity in the London Borough of Hackney in England. It was founded in 2000 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and artist Catherine Goodman as The Prince ...
, an enthusiasti
blogger
and in the past an occasional panellist on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
's ''
Newsnight Review ''The Review Show'' was a British discussion programme dedicated to the arts which ran, under several titles, from 1994 to 2014. The programme featured a panel of guests who reviewed developments in the world of the arts and culture. History '' ...
''. He was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(CBE) in the
2008 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and a ...
. In 2019 Saumarez Smith became the first Professor of Architectural History at the Royal Academy.


Bibliography

*''The Art Museum in Modern Times''. Thames & Hudson (2021) *''East London''. Thames & Hudson (2017) *''New Annals of The Club''. Pony Club, (2014) *''The Company of Artists: The Origins of the Royal Academy of Arts in London''. Bloomsbury / Modern Art Press (15 October 2012) * ''The National Gallery: A Short History''. Frances Lincoln (1 July 2009) * ''The National Portrait Gallery''. National Portrait Gallery Publications (27 June 1997) * ''The Rise of Design: Design and Domestic Interior in Eighteenth-century England''. Pimlico; New Ed edition (2000) * ''Eighteenth-Century Decoration. Design and the Domestic Interior in England''. Weidenfeld & Nicolson (1993) * ''The Building of Castle Howard''. Faber & Faber; 1st ed edition (5 March 1990) Saumarez Smith has contributed to biographies on
Quentin Bell Quentin Claudian Stephen Bell (19 August 1910 – 16 December 1996) was an English art historian and author. Early life Bell was born in London, the son of Clive Bell and Vanessa Bell (née Stephen), and the nephew of Virginia Woolf (née Ste ...
and Philip McCammon Core to the ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''.


Portraits

There are thirteen portraits of Saumarez Smith in the National Portrait Gallery Collection including two photographs by
Mario Testino Mario Eduardo Testino Silva OBE HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer. His work has featured internationally in magazines such as ''Vogue, V Magazine,'' '' Vanity Fair'' and '' GQ.'' He has also cre ...
and an oil painting by Tom Phillips. A 2010 painting by Royal Academician Leonard McComb exists.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saumarez Smith, Charles 1954 births Living people English art historians British curators Directors of the National Gallery, London Directors of the National Portrait Gallery, London People from Wiltshire People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Alumni of the Warburg Institute Harvard University faculty Fellows of Christ's College, Cambridge Academics of Queen Mary University of London Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Slade Professors of Fine Art (University of Oxford) Knights Bachelor