Paul Greenhalgh

I am a writer, historian and curator. As someone whose writing career has been in the post-colonial environment, much of my work can be characterised, I suppose, as being about the context of the arts, the impact of economy, politics, race and class on culture, and the role of the arts within Modern civilisation. I believe absolutely in looking at the full range of artistic practice, including the ornamental and decorative arts, architecture, and the history of exhibitions. Alongside my publishing life, I have also been a museum and college professional for some decades, in the UK, USA, and Canada. I have always opted to be either in an environment where works of art are physically present, or the artists and designers who make works of art. Over the years, some of my roles have included: Tutor at the Royal College of Art, Head of Research at the V&A Museum, President of NSCAD University in Canada, and Director and President of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art and Design, in Washington DC. For last ten years, I have been Director, and now Executive Director, of the Sainsbury Centre, a gallery and research think tank at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK. I am passionately committed to all forms of contemporary practice, and engage with it as a writer. As a historian, my main areas of activity are the period 1870-1940, across the arts; the history of exhibitions; Art Nouveau; and the history of ceramic. Please catch up with me on Instagram, or at paulgreenhalgh.net.