Martin Richard Fletcher Butlin, CBE, FBA (born 7 June 1929) is a British art historian. His main field of study is British art history and his published works reflect, in particular, a study of art of the 18th and 19th centuries. He is an authority on J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851) and

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

(1757–1827).

Early life

Butlin was born on 7 June 1929,BUTLIN, Martin Richard Fletcher
''Who's Who 2016'', A & C Black, 2016 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2015) his birth registered in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

. He was educated at Rendcomb College in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

before going up to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, and later the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.

Career

Butlin was appointed Assistant Keeper of the Historic British Collection at the

Tate Gallery 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 ...

in 1955, a post he held until 1967, when he was then appointed Keeper, a post he held for 22 years, ending in 1989. Since that time he has been a consultant to

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

in London.International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004
(Psychology Press, 2003), entry 'Butlin, Martin (Richard Fletcher)', page 85 Butlin was appointed CBE in the 1990 New Year Honours. He is a Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

. Throughout his working life Butlin has researched assiduously, producing a number of publications in his area of expertise. Amongst these is included a

catalogue raisonné A (or critical catalogue) is an annotated listing of the works of an artist or group of artists and can contain all works or a selection of works categorised by different parameters such as medium or period. A ''catalogue raisonné'' is normal ...

of the paintings and drawings of

. Butlin co-authored with Evelyn Joll ''The Paintings of J. M. W. Turner'', first published in 1977, both authors receiving the Mitchell Prize for the History of Art a year later. The book was described in Joll's obituary as a "... fully rounded catalogue raisonné of some 560 paintings..." Photographs attributed to Butlin appear at the Courtauld Institute's of Art's Conway Library. This is a collection of mainly architectural images containing glass and film negatives as well as prints. The collection is currently being digitised as part of the wider project Courtauld Connects.

Selected publications

Works on William Blake

*''William Blake (1757-1827): A Complete Catalogue of the Works of William Blake in the Tate Gallery'', Tate Gallery, 1957, 2nd edition 1971''.'' British Library General Reference Collection L.R.413.l.21. *''William Blake'', Tate Gallery little book series, Tate Gallery, 1966. British Library General Reference Collection X419/2657 *''William Blake'', Tate Gallery, 1978. British Library General Reference Collection BS.4/193 *''William Blake in the Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria'' ''(with Ted Gott and Irena Zdanowicz),'' The Gallery, 1989. British Library General Reference Collection YA.!999.b.1935 *''The Paintings and Drawings of William Blake,'' New Haven, 1981. British Library General Reference Collection LR410.cc.7/26 *''On the Morning of Christ's Nativity: Milton's Hymn with Illustrations by William Blake with note on the illustrations by Martin Butlin'', Whittington Press & Angscot Productions,1981. British Library General Reference Collection Cup.510.dga.30

Works on J.M.W. Turner

* ''The Paintings of J. M. W. Turner'' (with Evelyn Joll), Yale University Press, 1977. British Library General Reference Collection LR.410.cc.7/17 *''Turner Watercolours with an Introduction by Martin Butlin,'' Barrie and Jenkins, 1975. British Library General Reference Collection L.R.407.a.4. *''Turner'' (with Sir John Rothenstein), Heinemann, 1965. British Library General Reference Document Supply fL71/1256 *''The Paintings'' ''of J. M. W. Turner'' (with Evelyn Joll), Tate Gallery, 1977. British Library General Reference Collection LR.410.cc.7/17 *''The Later Works of J. M. W. Turner'', Tate Gallery, 1965. British Library General Reference Collection X.429/1086 *''Turner at Petworth: Painter and Patron'' (with Mollie Luther and Ian Warrell), Tate Gallery, 1989. British Library General Reference Collection LB.31.4330 *''The Oxford Companion to J. M. W. Turner'' (ed. with Evelyn Joll and Luke Herrmann), Indiana University Press, 2001. British Library General Reference Collection YC.2001.b.294

Other works

*''Samuel Palmer’s Sketchbook of 1824'', ''Introduction and Commentary by Martin Butlin,'' Trianon Press,1962. British Library General Reference Collection Document Supply X23/7786 *''The Modern British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture'' (with Mary Chamot and Dennis Farr), Tate Gallery Catalogue, 1964. British Library General Reference Collection X.421/5754 *''The Blake-Varley Sketchbook of 1819 in the collection of M.D.E. Clayton-Stamm'', Heinemann, 1969. British Library General Reference Collection X.429/4208 *''Aspects of British Painting 1550–1800, from the Collection of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation'' (exhibition catalogue), Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, 1988. British Library General Reference Section Document Supply 88/26876

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butlin, Martin 1929 births Living people People educated at Rendcomb College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Alumni of the Courtauld Institute of Art British art historians People associated with the Tate galleries Christie's people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the British Academy