Papers of Clare Henry, art critic and journalist

Scope and Content

A collection of hand written and typed articles with accompanying photographs and ephemera by the art critic and journalist Clare Henry.

The collection focusses on reviews and features on visual art and culture predominantly in Scotland for The Herald, Scotland. The articles are usually in draft form with some accompanying notes and multiple versions. Articles for other publications are also included such as Galleries Magazine, Art Review and Time Out as well as commissioned essays written for exhibition catalogues.

The period of writing covers a significant flourishing of the visual arts in Glasgow and Scotland and features perspective and opinion articles on notable artists such as Steven Campbell, Bruce Mclean, George Wylie and Douglas Gordon. The articles also cover significant organisations, opening events and deaths, such as Glasgow Capital of Culture 1990 and Glasgow Museums, the opening of Transmission Gallery, the opening of The Burrell Collection, Degree Shows for Scottish art schools and the Edinburgh Festival.

Administrative / Biographical History

Clare Henry FRSA was art critic for The Herald from 1980-2000. For 20 years she covered the Scottish and UK art scene in depth, writing roughly 200 articles a year. With a particular emphasis on Scottish artists, her writing provides profiles, interviews and art news pieces along with critical reviews.

Graduating in 1964 with BA Hons Fine Art from The University of Reading she became a Researcher at the Paul Mellon Foundation for British Art (1968-1970) before taking the position of art reviewer for West End Times (1976-1980). She was also art critic for The Herald (1980-2000) and arts presenter at Scottish TV (1984-1987). She wrote regular features for The Art Newspaper (1986-2003) and contributed to The Guardian, Marxism Today, 20/20 London, Ikebana Ryusei Japan and The Scotsman.

She curated exhibitions in the 1980s and 1990s including 'New Scottish Prints' for Britain Salutes New York, in NYC; London's 'Serpentine Summer Show', 1985; 'Artists at Work', Edinburgh Festival, 1986; 'The Vigorous Imagination' at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art for the Edinburgh Festival, 1987; Critic's Choice London, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992; Scots in Los Angeles, 1989; Scotland at the Venice Biennale, 1990, Critic's Choice for the RSA Edinburgh, 1994, New Millennium, Chicago and Washington DC, 1999.

She is a founding member of the Council of Management and a former chairman of both The Glasgow Print Studio and Salvo (the Scottish arts lobbying organisation). She served on the Scottish Design Council in the 1980s and on the working party for contemporary art of the National Trust. She was also on the board of Stirling's Smith Art Gallery and Museum and a trustee of the Scottish Sculpture Trust, 1984-1990.

She is also a former member of the British Council Visiting Arts panel, the National Union of Journalists, the Arts Correspondents Group London, Blackburn Printmaking Workshop NYC, and is a current member of the International Association of Art Critics, (AICA UK) and the American Association of Art Critics.

In 2000 she moved to New York where she was art critic for the Financial Times and The New York Sun until 2008. She now writes for various magazines in the UK and the USA and keeps a regular blog which can be found [here](http://clarehenry-artjournal.blogspot.com). She also has a website called [The Scottish Art Archive](http://scottishartarchive.com/).

Arrangement

The material is arranged chronologically and divided into 3 areas:

1. Articles, reviews and features

2. Ephemera (exhibitions catalogues, flyers etc)

3. Photographs

Access Information

Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections are open for research by appointment. For further details, please refer to our Access Policy @ https://gsaarchives.net/policies

Acquisition Information

Previously held by Clare Henry, donated in 2014.

Note

Clare Henry FRSA was art critic for The Herald from 1980-2000. For 20 years she covered the Scottish and UK art scene in depth, writing roughly 200 articles a year. With a particular emphasis on Scottish artists, her writing provides profiles, interviews and art news pieces along with critical reviews.

Graduating in 1964 with BA Hons Fine Art from The University of Reading she became a Researcher at the Paul Mellon Foundation for British Art (1968-1970) before taking the position of art reviewer for West End Times (1976-1980). She was also art critic for The Herald (1980-2000) and arts presenter at Scottish TV (1984-1987). She wrote regular features for The Art Newspaper (1986-2003) and contributed to The Guardian, Marxism Today, 20/20 London, Ikebana Ryusei Japan and The Scotsman.

She curated exhibitions in the 1980s and 1990s including 'New Scottish Prints' for Britain Salutes New York, in NYC; London's 'Serpentine Summer Show', 1985; 'Artists at Work', Edinburgh Festival, 1986; 'The Vigorous Imagination' at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art for the Edinburgh Festival, 1987; Critic's Choice London, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992; Scots in Los Angeles, 1989; Scotland at the Venice Biennale, 1990, Critic's Choice for the RSA Edinburgh, 1994, New Millennium, Chicago and Washington DC, 1999.

She is a founding member of the Council of Management and a former chairman of both The Glasgow Print Studio and Salvo (the Scottish arts lobbying organisation). She served on the Scottish Design Council in the 1980s and on the working party for contemporary art of the National Trust. She was also on the board of Stirling's Smith Art Gallery and Museum and a trustee of the Scottish Sculpture Trust, 1984-1990.

She is also a former member of the British Council Visiting Arts panel, the National Union of Journalists, the Arts Correspondents Group London, Blackburn Printmaking Workshop NYC, and is a current member of the International Association of Art Critics, (AICA UK) and the American Association of Art Critics.

In 2000 she moved to New York where she was art critic for the Financial Times and The New York Sun until 2008. She now writes for various magazines in the UK and the USA and keeps a regular blog which can be found [here](http://clarehenry-artjournal.blogspot.com). She also has a website called [The Scottish Art Archive](http://scottishartarchive.com/).

Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

There are no physical characteristics that affect the use of this material.

Archivist's Note

* Fonds level description compiled by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, 17 October 2001.
* Updated by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, 14 May 2002.
* Fonds level description imported from the Archives Hub, 24 August 2006.
* Archives Hub description updated by Carrie Skinner, Logjam Project Officer, September 2011.
* Fond level description updated by Susannah Waters, Archivist, July 2014.
* Lower levels catalogued by Carrie Skinner, September 2013, October 2015 and July 2016.
* Catalogue exported from Archon and imported into AtoM during system migration, 2018-2019.

Finding Aid Authors: The Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections.

© Copyright 2014 GSA Archives. All rights reserved.

Conditions Governing Use

Application for permission to reproduce should be submitted to The Archives and Collections at The Glasgow School of Art.

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of material.

For further details, please refer to our Reprographic Service Guide @ https://gsaarchives.net/policies

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections standard procedures.

Related Material

* Photocopies of all of Clare Henry's articles are held at [Glasgow Women's Library](http://www.womenslibrary.org.uk)
* Two videos of Clare Henry discussing her archive are available online at https://youtu.be/RU8bdeNCh8Y and https://youtu.be/yXvjNRnqVwY

Additional Information

Published

GB 1694 DC 030

GB 1694