Denys Miller Sutton (10 August 1917 – 30 January 1991) was a British art critic and historian known for his focus on European artists before 1800 (
) and
Asian art
The history of Asian art includes a vast range of arts from various cultures, regions, and religions across the continent of Asia. The major regions of Asia include Central, East, South, Southeast, and West Asia.
Central Asian art primarily ...
. He was art critic for the ''Financial Times'' and editor of ''
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
'' magazine.
Biography
The son of Edmund Miller Sutton (son of Thomas Miller Sutton, a pawnbroker and jeweller, of
Victoria Street, London
Victoria is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster. It is named after Victoria Station, which is a major transport hub. The station was named after the nearby Victoria Street.
The name is used to describe streets adjoining or nea ...
) who worked for the family business,
Suttons & Robertsons, and Dulcie Laura (nee Wheeler),
Sutton was educated at
Uppingham
Uppingham is a market town in Rutland, England, off the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, south of the county town, Oakham. It had a population of 4,745 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 4,853 in 2019. It is known for its e ...
and
Exeter College, Oxford
(Let Exeter Flourish)
, old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall''
, named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter
, established =
, sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge
, rector = Sir Richard Trainor
...
, receiving a B.A. and B.Litt.
Sutton worked for the
Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* United S ...
Research Department from 1940–46, then appointed Secretary of the International Commission for Restitution of Cultural Material. In 1948 he was named
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
's Fine Arts specialist. He visited
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
in 1949 as a lecturer, then worked as art sales correspondent and a book reviewer for ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'', as well as art critic for the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nikke ...
'' and
Country Life magazine. In 1962 the Financial Times management appointed him editor of Apollo magazine; during his years of service, he greatly improved the magazine's reputation and increased profits. On his 1986 retirement, he wrote the book 'Degas: The Man and the Work', released that year. Sutton was also a respected organiser of art exhibitions, including the 'France in the Eighteenth Century' show 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 purp ...
in 1968.
[Who's Who in Art, Bernard Dolman, The Art Trade Press Ltd, 1990, pg 438]
He was appointed
C.B.E.
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 ...
in the
1985 New Year Honours
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
list.
Sutton married Sonja Klibansky in 1940, with whom he had a daughter, Madeleine; Gertrud Koebke-Knutson in 1952, with whom he had a son, Caspar; and, in 1960, Cynthia Sassoon.
Denys and Cynthia Sutton lived at
Westwood Manor, a
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
property at
Bradford-upon-Avon
Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings ...
,
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, Gloucestershir ...
, until 1983, following which they lived at Chelsea.
[Anthony Powell- Journals 1982-1986, Anthony Powell, Heinemann London, 1995, pg 31, 83]
Selected works
*''Degas: The Man and the Work'' (1986)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Denys
British art critics
1917 births
1991 deaths