Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1902-1983

German-born art and architectural historian, editor and professor, Nikolaus Pevsner was a scholar of European architecture, 19th and 20th century design, Italian Baroque painting and German sculpture. He worked with the Dresden Gallery from 1924 to 1928 and taught at Göttingen before emigrating to England in 1933. He subsequently taught at Birkbeck College and the Courtauld Institute, and lectured as Slade Professor of Art at Cambridge and Oxford. He was a member of the editorial board of the Architectural Review.

From the description of Nikolaus Pevsner miscellaneous papers, 1957-1979. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 80271700

Art and architectural historian, editor and professor. He worked with the Dresden Gallery from 1924 to 1928 and taught at Gottingen before immigrating to England in 1933. He subsequently taught at Birkbeck College and the Courtauld Institute, and lectured as Slade Professor of Art at Cambridge and Oxford. He was a member of the editorial board of the Architectural Review. Pevsner, who wrote in English, was a scholar of European architecture, 19th and 20th century design, Italian Baroque painting and German sculpture.

From the description of Nikolaus Pevsner papers, 1919-1979. (Getty Research Institute). WorldCat record id: 83862123

Biographical/Historical Note

Art and architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner was born in Germany in 1902. He worked with the Dresden Gallery (1924-1928) and taught at Göttingen University (1929-1933) before emigrating to England in 1933. In England Pevsner taught at Birkbeck College (University of London) and the Courtauld Institute, and lectured as the Slade Professor of Art at Cambridge (1949-1955) and Oxford (1969) Universities.

Pevsner was a scholar of Italian baroque painting, German sculpture and 19th- and 20th-century architecture of England and Europe. It is as an architectural historian that he is best remembered, partly because he was quite prolific, and also because of his strong point of view. His polemical view is evident in his early book, Pioneers of Modern Design (1936), in which he first tried to persuade England to accept the Modern movement. He remained a persistent advocate for modern design and for historical preservation.

Among Pevsner's many publications are the following books: An Outline of European architecture, A History of Building Types, and the monumental Buildings of England in 46 volumes, of which 35 were researched and written by Pevsner. He was an editor of the influential journal Architectural Review and edited the Pelican History of Art series, which comprised 48 volumes. He received the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1967 and a knighthood in 1969. Pevsner died in 1983.

From the guide to the Nikolaus Pevsner miscellaneous papers, 1957-1979, (The Getty Research Institute Special Collections 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, California, 90049-1688 (310) 440-7390)