Frances Spalding (née Crabtree, born 16 July 1950) is a British art historian, writer and a former editor of ''

The Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation sin ...

''.

Life

Frances Crabtree studied at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

and gained her PhD for a study of

Roger Fry Roger Eliot Fry (14 December 1866 – 9 September 1934) was an English painter and critic, and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Establishing his reputation as a scholar of the Old Masters, he became an advocate of more recent developme ...

. She taught art history at

Sheffield City Polytechnic Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

(19781988) before becoming a freelance writer and curator. She returned to academic work to take up the post of professor of Art History at

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

in 2000. Spalding specialises in 20th-century

British art The Art of the United Kingdom refers to all forms of visual art in or associated with the United Kingdom since the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and encompasses English art, Scottish art, Welsh art and Irish art, and forms ...

, biography and cultural history and her work includes 15 major books, essays, criticism and reviews. She curated the 2003 exhibition "John Piper in the 1930s: Abstraction on the Beach" at

Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London, which opened to the public in 1817. It was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane using an innovative and influential method of illumination. Dulwich is the oldest publi ...

in south

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She has also written a study of poet

Stevie Smith Florence Margaret Smith, known as Stevie Smith (20 September 1902 – 7 March 1971), was an English poet and novelist. She won the Cholmondeley Award and was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. A play, '' Stevie'' by Hugh Whitemore, bas ...

and a biography of

John 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 * Secon ...

and

Myfanwy Piper Mary ''Myfanwy'' Piper (; Welsh: ; 28 March 1911 – 18 January 1997) was a British art critic and opera librettist. Biography Mary Myfanwy Evans was born on 28 March 1911 into a Welsh family in London. Her father was a chemist in Hampstead, nor ...

. When reviewing ''John Piper, Myfanwy Piper: Lives in Art'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' said of Spalding "At her scintillating best, she is both a brilliant encapsulator and shrewd summer-up; above all, an enthusiast and advocate whose wisdom makes you eager for her subject." Spalding was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

in 1984. She was appointed as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Birthday Honours 2005 for services to literature. She is a trustee of the Charleston Trust. Spalding became the Editor of ''

'' in September 2015, leaving in August 2016. In 1974, Crabtree married

Julian Spalding Julian Spalding (born 15 June 1947 in Lewisham, South London) is an English art critic, writer, broadcaster and a former curator. Considered to be a controversial maverick and outspoken critic of the art world, he has frequently contributed to ar ...

; the couple divorced in 1991.

Selected publications

* ''Magnificent Dreams: Burne-Jones and the Late Victorians'' (1978) * ''Whistler'' (1979) * ''Vanessa Bell'' (1979, ) * ''Roger Fry: Art and Life'' (1980) * * ''British Art since 1900'' (1986) * ''Stevie Smith: A Critical Biography'' (1988) * ''20th Century Painters and Sculptors: Dictionary of British Art'' (1990) * ''Dance Till the Stars Come Down: A Biography of John Minton'' (1991) * ''Virginia Woolf: Paper Darts: the Illustrated Letters'' (ed) (1991) * ''Duncan Grant: A Biography'' (1997) * ''The Tate: A History'' (1998) * ''Ravilious in Public: A Guide to Works by the Artist in Public Collections'' (2002) * ''John Piper in the 1930s: Abstraction on the Beach'' (2003) * ''Gwen Raverat: Friends, Family and Affections'' (2001) * ''The Bloomsbury Group'', National Portrait Gallery Insights (2005) * ''John Piper, Myfanwy Piper: Lives in Art'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

(2009, )

Reviews

* *Review of:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spalding, Frances 1950 births Living people 20th-century biographers 21st-century biographers Academics of Newcastle University Academics of Sheffield Hallam University Alumni of the University of Nottingham Bloomsbury Group biographers British art curators British women biographers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English art critics English art historians English biographers English magazine editors Fellows of Clare Hall, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Women art historians Women magazine editors Women biographers British women curators