A Cultural Biography of William Johnstone

Scottish artist William Johnstone (18971981) has been significantly overlooked in the histories of British modernism, yet his role as the progressive Principal of Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and subsequently the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London helped shape the the work and careers of artists such as Richard Hamilton, Victor Pasmore, Nigel Henderson, Alan Davie and Eduardo Paolozzi.
Drawing directly on Johnstone’s personal archive as well as a range of newly researched primary sources, Beth Williamson studies Johnstone’s ideas and his artworks within the context of his working relationships with other important British artists of the period. His dialogues with significant thinkers in the wider cultural field serve to illuminate these intellectual debates in a lively way.
Williamson considers these important relationships against the background of Johnstone’s thinking and theirs, examining key texts, artworks, and moments in British art and art education in an international context, revealing Johnstone’s intellectual formation considering its significance then and now.

Author Biography

Beth Williamson is an independent art historian. From 2009 to 2014 she was a Research Fellow at Tate. Her research is focused on the history of British art education, particularly in the post-war period. Previous sole authored publications include Between Art Practice and Psychoanalysis Mid-Twentieth Century: Anton Ehrenzweig in Context (Ashgate, 2015) and the co-edited volume The London Art Schools: Reforming the Art World, 1960 to Now (Tate Publishing, 2015).