Frances Spalding

FRSL 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, the ...

(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 s ...

''.

Life

Frances Crabtree studied at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

and gained her PhD for a study of

Roger Fry Roger Eliot Fry (14 December 1866 – 9 September 1934) was an English painter and art critic, 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 ...

. She taught art history at Sheffield City Polytechnic (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 public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

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 country since the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and encompasses English art, Scottish art, Welsh art and Irish art, and forms part ...

, biography and cultural history and her work includes 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. It opened to the public in 1817 and was designed by the Regency architect Sir John Soane. His design was recognized for its innovative and influential method of illumination f ...

in south

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She has also written a study of poet Stevie Smith 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 * Second E ...

and

Myfanwy Piper Mary Myfanwy Piper (; Welsh: ; 28 March 1911 – 18 January 1997) was a British art critic and opera librettist. She was the founder of the periodical ''Axis'', which was devoted to abstract art. She collaborated with the composer Benjamin Britt ...

. 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 King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

in 1984. She was appointed as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the

Birthday Honours 2005 The Birthday Honours 2005 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2005 to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2005. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged first by the co ...

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; the couple divorced in 1991.

Selected publications

* ''Magnificent Dreams: Burne-Jones and the Late Victorians'' (1978) * '' Whistler'' (1979) * ''

Vanessa Bell Vanessa Bell (née Stephen; 30 May 1879 – 7 April 1961) was an English painter and interior designer, a member of the Bloomsbury Group and the sister of Virginia Woolf (née Stephen). Early life and education Vanessa Stephen was the eld ...

'' (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 Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

: Paper Darts: the Illustrated Letters'' (ed) (1991) * ''

Duncan Grant Duncan James Corrowr Grant (21 January 1885 – 8 May 1978) was a Scottish painter and designer of textiles, pottery, theatre sets, and costumes. He was a member of the Bloomsbury Group. His father was Bartle Grant, a "poverty-stricken" major ...

: A Biography'' (1997) * ''The

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

: 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 The Bloomsbury Group was a group of associated British writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the early 20th century. Among the people involved in the group were Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes, E. M. Forster, Vanessa Bell, a ...

'',

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

Insights (2005) * ''John Piper, Myfanwy Piper: Lives in Art'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

(2009, )

Reviews

* *Review of:

References

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