Inspirational alumnae, Catherine Porteous, shares insight of groundbreaking BBC2 History of Art series, Civilisation

On Friday 22 May, we were extremely fortunate to welcome alumna Catherine Porteous to St Mary’s to talk to us about her life-long dedication to Art History.

Catherine is a St Mary’s alumna (1952 Leaver) who spent much of her career working as the PA and Research Assistant to the Art Historian, Sir Kenneth Clark (1903-1983). Sir Kenneth Clark’s importance to the growth of the discipline within Britain cannot be underestimated and his books such as The Nude and Landscape into Art featured regularly on my university reading lists. As a former Director of the National Gallery in London, he was also instrumental in bringing a subject perceived to be arcane, luxurious and elitist to a wider audience.

Thanks to Sir David Attenborough, who became Controller of the newly launched BBC 2 in 1966, Clark was commissioned to produce the ground-breaking Civilisation TV series for the BBC. The first of its kind, Civilisation took a chronological approach to explaining the connections between art and architecture and historical change. First showing in February 1969, the programmes were unique in their examination of the materials, techniques and processes used to create breathtaking paintings, sculptures and buildings over the centuries. Significantly, Sir David Attenborough was keen to find a showcase that could highlight the exciting revelation that colour television had brought to broadcasting. Nothing could have been more ideal than Clark’s vision – the medium of television highlighting the spectacular glory of Western art and architecture from the Middle-Ages to the 20th century.

Catherine brought the brilliance of Clark’s achievement to life with anecdotes and recollections of her invaluable contribution to his project. She captivated my Lower Sixth History of Art students with her warmth and knowledge, whilst reinforcing the foundations of the first year of their A Level course. Catherine’s illuminating and lively talk generated many questions. The students chatted at length with Catherine and were excited to tell me about how much they had gained from meeting her: they would love her to return!

We are enormously grateful to Catherine for the generous donation of her collection of History of Art books to the library – including foundational texts such as Bernard Berenson’s Italian Painters of the Renaissance as well as catalogues of major British collections and gallery exhibitions. This was an event that brought together three generations within the Calne community, illustrating the power of art to cement bonds, facilitate discussion and make connections. I am certain that this is exactly what Sir Kenneth Clark and Sir David Attenborough would have wanted when they conceived their idea for a radical new way of making History of Art accessible to all.

Dr Penelope Wickson, Head of History of Art and Global Dimension