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George Henderson

b. 1931

Art historian, medievalist, writer

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About George Henderson

Born 1931. George Henderson is a British art historian, writer and medievalist.

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) and a member of the Association of Art Historians. 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". a Church of Scotland minister and an ecclesiastical historian with a number of books to his name, and Janet Henderson (née Smith).

Education and academic career

Educated at the University of Aberdeen (BA, 1953), University of London (MA, 1956) and Cambridge (MA & PhD, 1961), 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.

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

Awards and honours 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 and he is also recognised in The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture as being an influence on the art historian and medievalist Michael Camille. 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’. They have two children: Katherine Henderson (physician) and Matthew Henderson, a British Diplomat and Orientalist.

Selected works 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. Gothic, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978. Bede and the Visual Arts, Newcastle upon Tyne: J & P. Bealls, 1980. Losses and Lacunae in Early Insular Art. University of York, 1982. Studies in English Bible Illustration, London: Pindar, 1985, From Durrow to Kells: the Insular Gospel-books, London: Thames and Hudson, 1987. Vision and Image in Early Christian England, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. The Art of the Picts: Sculpture and Metalwork in Early Medieval Scotland, (with Isabel Henderson), London: Thames & Hudson, 2004.

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Important facts

Born
1931, Aberdeen
Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Aberdeen
Also known as
George David Smith Henderson, George D. S. Henderson

People in George Henderson's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped George Henderson's

Frequently asked questions

Who is George Henderson?

art historian, medievalist, writer

When was George Henderson born?

George Henderson was born in 1931 in Aberdeen.

What is George Henderson's occupation?

George Henderson is an art historian, writer and medievalist.

What nationality is George Henderson?

George Henderson is British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: George Henderson

· Wikidata: Q19997521

· DBpedia: George D. S. Henderson

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). George Henderson. https://biography.guide/george-henderson-art-historian/

MLA: "George Henderson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/george-henderson-art-historian/.

Chicago: "George Henderson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/george-henderson-art-historian/.

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