Read, Sir Herbert Edward

views updated May 29 2018

Read, Sir Herbert Edward (1893–1968). British critic and writer. He was a leading supporter of Modernism in the 1930s, and edited Unit One: The Modern Movement in English Architecture, Painting and Sculpture (1934). His The Meaning of Art (1931), Art Now (1933), Art and Industry (1934), Surrealism (1936), Art and Society (1936), and Education Through Art (1943) were reprinted several times, and were very influential in spreading the gospel of Modernism in the English-speaking world. His Concise History of Modern Painting (1959) and Concise History of Modern Sculpture (1964) further enhanced his reputation. He edited the Burlington Magazine (1933–9)

Bibliography

Chilvers, Osborne, & Farr (eds.) (1988);
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004);
Jane Turner (1996)