Boxes of Sewell's documents, photos, papers and press cuttings have been donated to the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, a London-based sister institution of the Yale Center for British Art and part of Yale University in Connecticut.
Sewell (1931-2015) was an art historian, collector and journalist and the Mellon centre said he earned the reputation as "Britain’s most controversial art critic".
The archive includes childhood and school photos and documents, through to material related to his time at the Courtauld Institute of Art; details around the spy story of Anthony Blunt; investigations uncovering fakes and forgeries and research for books as well as extensive press cuttings of all his work as a journalist. It also documents his friendships, and passions for travel, dogs, and cars.
After graduating from the Courtauld, Sewell worked at Christie’s (1957-67); as an independent dealer (1967-80), and as a journalist, most notably for the Evening Standard (1984-2015).
Boxes of art critic Brian Sewell's documents, sketches, photos, papers and press cuttings have been donated to the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, a London-based sister institution of the Yale Center for British Art and part of Yale University in Connecticut. Image courtesy of the Brian Sewell archive and copyright of the Paul Mellon Centre.
In a statement the Mellon centre in London described the collection of press cuttings as a "near complete run of his journalistic output" which is an "incredibly valuable resource for anyone studying artistic tastes and preferences, particularly of London, during this period".
A statement added: "This material offers a unique insight into the work and processes of a critic, and the private responses to this very public discipline."
The centre is initially providing a small archival display fromMay 8-September 8.
Sewell died in 2015 and his art collection was auctioned at Christie's in 2016.
