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James Stourton

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James Stourton (Art Historian and writer)

James Alastair Stourton, born 3rd July 1956 in York, England[1], is a former Chairman of Sotheby’s UK[2], and today an historian, author and academic.

Stourton began his career at Sotheby’s as an Old Master paintings specialist in 1979 and held many positions there, rising to the UK Chairmanship[3], until he left the auction house in 2012 to become a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Historical Research (London University)[4].

Stourton’s publications include The British as Art Collectors, A History of British Art Collecting from the Tudors to the Present, with Charles Sebag-Montefiore (Scala, 2012), Great Houses of London (Frances Lincoln, 2012)[5], which won the Spear’s Prize 2013 and Kenneth Clark (William Collins 2016)[5], named The Sunday Times Art Book of the Year 2016[6]. See also[7]

Over the years Stourton has been a regular writer of reviews, obituaries and articles for The Daily Telegraph; The Independent; The Spectator; Apollo; The Art Newspaper; Country Life, The Literary Review and was consultant to The Economist art collecting supplement.

Most recently James has written and published British Embassies: their diplomatic and architectural history (Frances Lincoln 2017)[8] and London Palace: The building and social history of Dudley House, to be privately published in 2017.

As well as being a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Historical Research of London University[9], Stourton sits on several government committees including the Panel of the Heritage Memorial Fund[10], and The Acceptance in Lieu Panel[11].

Television, Lecturing and Journalism

Stourton has contributed to several television programmes, most recently for the BBC2 Culture Show programme on Kenneth Clark, screened Saturday 31st May 2014[12]. Past programmes include appearances with Victoria Leatham in Heirs and Graces (1990) on the art collections at Highclere and Berkeley Castles; he was also a contributor to BBC4 series on British Art Collecting (screened July 2013). Today he acts as the consultant to Sky Arts television series on art collectors being produced by Colonial Pictures.

He frequently lectures on the history of art and collecting, having in the past delivered lectures for the Cambridge University History of Art faculty, The Art Fund, Sotheby’s Institute and many others. Stourton gave the keynote address at Frick Museum seminar on Anglo-American art collecting on May 6th 2011: The Revolving Door: 300 years of British Art Collecting[13]. He also delivered the lecture to close the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Italian unification at the Italian Embassy on October 13th 2011: The English Love Affair with Italy, 300 years of Art Collecting. In 2017 he was invited to give the Marlay Lecture at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

Publications

The Dictionary of Art (Macmillan) contributor, 1996

Great Small Museums of Europe (Scala, 2003). Translated into four languages, Danish, Chinese, French and Japanese[14]

Great Collectors of our Time: Art Collecting Since 1945 (Scala, 2007), Apollo Book of the Year 2007[15]

‘Robert, 9th Lord Petre’ in English Catholic Heroes (Gracewing, 2008)[16]

Sponsor and publisher of The Lumley Inventory and Pedigree, Edited Mark Evans, 2010 for the Roxburghe Club[17]

The British as Art Collectors, A History of British Art Collecting from the Tudors to the Present, with Charles Sebag-Montefiore (Scala, 2012)[18]

Great Houses of London (Frances Lincoln, 2012),[19]. winner of Spear’s Prize 2013, new edition 2015

‘The Revolving Door: Four Centuries of British Collecting’ in British Models of Art Collecting and the American Response, Edited by Inge Reist, Frick 2014[13]

Kenneth Clark (William Collins 2016), named The Sunday Times Art Book of the Year 2016[6]. See also[7]

British Embassies: their diplomatic and architectural history (Frances Lincoln 2017)[20]

London Palace: The building and social history of Dudley House, privately published in 2017

Sotheby's Career[21]

Joined British Painting Department, Sotheby’s, London 1979

Director of Sotheby’s London 1987

Director European Valuation Department 1990

Director European Business Development 1993

Director European Board 1994

Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe 1997

Chairman, Sotheby’s Institute of Education 2000

Chairman, Sotheby’s UK, 2006

During his time at Sotheby’s James Stourton organised many famous and important sales including the Ava Gardner Collection, the Bentinck-Thyssen Old Master Painting Collection, the Edward Fattorini Dutch Painting Collection, the Arturo Lopez-Wilshaw Silver Sale, the Palazzo Corsini Sale in Florence, the Guy de Rothschild sale in Monte-Carlo, the Sale of Charles de Beistegui at Château de Groussay.

He was behind the sale of many famous libraries including those of Fred Adams, the Montefiore Collection of Hebrew Manuscripts, the Macclesfield Library from Shirburn Castle, and the Wardington Collection of Maps and Atlases.

Whilst at Sotheby’s Stourton instituted the first Graduate Trainee Scheme in 1987, which provided a very significant number of today’s senior European directors, and also initiated The Historic Houses Association/Sotheby’s annual prize in 2006 for a country house restoration.

Education

Stourton was educated at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire[1] and then Magdalene College, Cambridge[22], where he took a History of Art MA[9]

Personal life

Stourton is the second son of Charles Edward Stourton, 23rd Baron Stourton, 27th Baron Segrave, 26th Baron Mowbray CBE and Jane de Yarburgh-Bateson, the only child of Lord Deramore. In 1993 Stourton married Sophie Stonor, daughter of Thomas Stonor, 7th Baron Camoys. The marriage was dissolved by divorce.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b "James Alastair Stourton". The Peerage.
  2. ^ "Sotheby's Art Department Specialists". Sotheby's UK.
  3. ^ "Sotheby's UK". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. ^ "IHR Fellowships and Fellows".
  5. ^ a b "Capel and Land author titles".
  6. ^ a b "The Sunday Times Art Book of the Year 2016". The Sunday Times.
  7. ^ a b "Telegraph award winning books". Telegraph Bookshop.
  8. ^ "British Embassies Their Diplomatic and Architectural History on Foyles". Foyles Bookshop.
  9. ^ a b "IHR Fellows". IHR.
  10. ^ "NHMF Trustees". NHMF.
  11. ^ "AIL Panel panel members" (PDF). Acceptance in Lieu Panel.
  12. ^ "BBC The Culture Show. Sir Kenneth Clark: Portrait of a Civilised Man". YouTube.
  13. ^ a b "Programme for The Revolving Door: British Collecting Over Two Centuries James Stourton, Chairman, Sotheby's UK, London" (PDF). The Frick Collection.
  14. ^ "Scala Arts and Heritage publishers". Scala.
  15. ^ James Stourton (2007). Great Collectors of Our Time: Art Collecting Since 1945. Scala. ISBN 978-1-85759-514-7.
  16. ^ "English Catholic Heroes". Gracewing.
  17. ^ "The Lumley Inventory and pedigree". Yale Center for British Art.
  18. ^ "Scala publishers". Scala.
  19. ^ "Quarto Knows titles". Quarto Knows.
  20. ^ British Embassies. ISBN 9780711238602. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  21. ^ "James Stourton Sotheby's biog". Sotheby's UK.
  22. ^ "IHR fellows". IHR.
  23. ^ "The Hon James Alastair Stourton". The Peerage.

Referencing errors now corrected.

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