George D. S. Henderson

George David Smith Henderson (born 1931 in Aberdeen, Scotland) is a British art historian, author, and Emeritus Professor of Medieval Art at the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of The Society of Antiquaries of London (elected January 1975)[1] and a member of the Association of Art Historians.[2] He was awarded the Reginald Taylor Prize by the British Archaeological Association in 1962 for his paper "The Sources of the Genesis Cycle at St.-Savin-sur-Gartempe".[3]

Early life

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Professor Henderson is the son of George David Henderson (1888-1957),[4] a Church of Scotland minister and an ecclesiastical historian with a number of books to his name, and Janet Henderson (née Smith).[3]

Education and academic career

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Educated at the University of Aberdeen (BA, 1953), University of London (MA, 1956) and Cambridge (MA & PhD, 1961),[3] George Henderson went on to have a long career in academia. He was a Research Fellow at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, 1960-1961, a Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Manchester, 1963-1966, and a Lecturer in Art History at the University of Edinburgh, 1966-1973.

Henderson was appointed to Cambridge University as a Lecturer in the History of Art and Fellow of Downing College in 1974, having previously worked at Downing College for a brief period in the early 1960s.[3]

Henderson was a Visiting Lecturer[5] at the Courtauld Institute of Art and has donated photographs to the Conway Library which are currently being digitised as part of the Courtauld Connects project.[6]

In 1984 he was a founding member of the steering committee of the Harlaxton Medieval Symposium,[7] an annual event held at Harlaxton Manor started by Pamela Tudor-Craig.

Awards and honours

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A book to honour his work was published in 2001, New Offerings, Ancient Treasures: Studies in Medieval Art for George Henderson, edited by Paul Binski and William Noel[8] and he is also recognised in The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture[9] as being an influence on the art historian and medievalist Michael Camille.[3]

Personal life

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George Henderson is married to Isabel Henderson, Fellow Emerita of Newnham College, Cambridge[10] and an eminent academic in her own right. The Guardian, when reviewing the book she co-authored with her husband, The Art of the Picts: Sculpture and Metalwork in Early Medieval Scotland, described her as ‘the great doyenne of Pictish art’.[11]

Selected works

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  • Gothic Art and Civilisation, London: Folio Society, 2004, c1967.
  • Chartres, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1968.
  • Early Medieval Art and Civilisation, London: The Folio Society, 2004, c1972.
  • Early Medieval, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1977, ISBN 0140214208.
  • Gothic, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978, ISBN 0140208062.
  • Bede and the Visual Arts, Newcastle upon Tyne: J & P. Bealls, 1980.
  • Losses and Lacunae in Early Insular Art. University of York, 1982, ISBN 0900657669.
  • Studies in English Bible Illustration, London: Pindar, 1985, ISBN 0907132278
  • From Durrow to Kells: the Insular Gospel-books, London: Thames and Hudson, 1987, ISBN 0500234744.
  • Vision and Image in Early Christian England, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, ISBN 0521551307.
  • The Art of the Picts: Sculpture and Metalwork in Early Medieval Scotland, (with Isabel Henderson), London: Thames & Hudson, 2004, ISBN 0500238073.

References

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  1. ^ "Prof George Henderson". Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Bulletin of the Association of Art Historians" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b c d e admin (21 February 2018). "Henderson, George D. S." Dictionary of Art Historians. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Henderson, George David (1888–1957), Church of Scotland minister and historian". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/66406. Retrieved 12 September 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ "Research Centre for Illuminated Manuscripts". The Courtauld Institute of Art. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Who made the Conway Library?". Digital Media. 30 June 2020. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Pamela Tudor-Craig, Lady Wedgewood | Harlaxton Medieval Symposium". Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  8. ^ Henderson, George; Binski, Paul; Noel, William (2001). New offerings, ancient treasures: studies in Medieval art for George Henderson. Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton. ISBN 978-0-7509-1571-7. OCLC 48013567.
  9. ^ Hourihane, Colum (2012). The Grove encyclopedia of medieval art and architecture. ISBN 978-0-19-539536-5. OCLC 767974649.
  10. ^ "Dr Isabel Henderson – Newnham College". www.newn.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Observer review: The Art of the Picts by George and Isabel Henderson". The Guardian. 19 December 2004. Retrieved 12 September 2020.