The author was Director of the National Portrait Gallery 1967 - 1973 and Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum 1974 - 1987.
Former director of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum, Strong follows his sociopolitical The Story of Britain (Fromm, 1997) with a chronicle of British arts that is both erudite and accessible. The work is a fascinating journey of discovery, recording the energy and eccentricity that has typified British culture from the time of the Roman occupation to the National Lottery funding of the arts. Along the way, we meet the heroes and the villains, the rulers and the romantics, the artists and the academics. The physical and psychic landscapes of the island are charted, as is the development of its literature, poetry, painting, music, architecture, and performing arts--all with an expert eye for detail and the author's unmistakable enthusiasm for his topic. A wealth of marvelous illustrations adds immensely to the dramatic impact of the book as well as to its value as a research tool and an important addition to any library collection, public or private. The glorious achievements of the people of "this sceptred isle" are well served by this author. Highly recommended.--Paula Frosch, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lib., New York Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
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