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Collected Item: “Brian Sewell : an introduction to the archive”

Contribution Title

Brian Sewell : an introduction to the archive

Description (This can only be plain text, i.e. no links or bullet points.)

Brian Sewell (1931-2015) was an art historian, art critic, author and media personality. He lead a remarkable life: born in 1931 to a single mother, he studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art and found fame both as Anthony Blunt’s unofficial spokesman following Blunt’s exposure as a Soviet spy and later in his role as daily arts correspondent for the Evening Standard. All his life he felt like an ‘outsider’ – this becoming the title of his published autobiographies – a reference to various aspects of his character and also his sexuality (he described himself as gay). This Sewell Archive, documents almost every part of his life and this display provides an introduction to the collection.

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Photograph of Sewell, c1970s. Sewell Archive, Paul Mellon Centre (Ref: BS/1/3/7a)

Content Type

Online Exhibition

Subject (1)

Art and Architectural History

Subject (2)

Cultural History

Subject (3)

LGBTQ+ History

Geographical Area (1)

Britain and Ireland

Geographical Area (2)

World

Time Period

20th Century

Time Period (2)

18th-19th Century

Contribution URL

https://www.paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk/archives-and-library/archive-collections/brian-sewell
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