Charles Townsend Harrison (11 February 1942,

Chesham Chesham ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, south-east of the county town of Aylesbury, about north-west of Charing Cross, central London, and part of the London metropolitan area, London ...

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– 6 August 2009

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

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

) was a UK

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

who taught

Art History Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

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

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

. 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, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

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. The art collection is known particularly for ...

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 othe ...

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

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, 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, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

in 1997. Charles Harrison became a member of the

Art & Language Art & Language is an English conceptual artists' collaboration that has undergone many changes since it was created around 1967. The group was founded by artists who shared a common desire to combine intellectual ideas and concerns with the cre ...

artist group in 1971 and was an editor of

Art-Language ''Art-Language: The Journal of Conceptual Art'' (1969-1985) was a magazine published by the conceptual artists of Art & Language. Involving more than 20 artists in the United States, Europe, and Australia, and covering almost 20 years producti ...

. He was also a curator. As a member of Art & Language, Charles Harrison was a exhibitor at Documenta 5 in Kassel in 1972 with the ''Project Index 0001'' in the Idea + Idea / Light department, together with Art & Language member Terry Atkinson, David Bainbridge, Ian Burn, Michael Baldwin, Harold Hurrell, Mel Ramsden and Joseph Kosuth. With Art & Language he was also billed at Documenta 6 (1977) and Documenta 7 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, 1987 * ''A Quiet Revolution: British Sculpture Since 1965,'' with Graham Beal, Lynne Cooke & Mary Jane Jacob, 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, 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 was founded in 1995 as a British book publisher specialising in art. Company history Ridinghouse was established by Karsten Schubert (with Charles Asprey and Thomas Dane) as a stand-alone publisher alongside its founders' gallery a ...

, 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