Helen Clare

I am an art historian, curator and writer, who studied with Professor Martin Kemp at the University of St Andrews and then worked as an Editor and Writer on modern and contemporary art magazines in London and Paris. English Literature and Music were also an important part of my MA Honours degree, and in parallel I studied Art History at the British Institute in Florence, and was subsequently awarded a studentship at the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation in Venice. I am now an independent Curator and Writer focussing on art, architecture, design and music, with published work on many platforms (including Dezeen, Parkett, RIBA, Art & Design, Architectural Design, Blueprint, Musicity and The Henry Moore Foundation). I work closely with London Design Festival, Roca London and Barcelona Galleries, and am a curatorial consultant for London Design Biennale. My art books include "Parallel Structures: Art, Dance & Music" (Academy Editions, with texts on Robert Ryman, Annie Leibovitz, Anish Kapoor, John Cage, and others) and "Wolfgang Laib: A Journey" (Edition Cantz). I am also the co-author of an award-winning children's novel, "Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing" (Barefoot Books) and was a participating author in The Children's Bookshow from 2009-19, creating theatre performances and literature workshops in schools across the UK. With these two strands to my career and interests, I am offering tutoring sessions in both Art History and English, and am open to interdisciplinary thinking by my students, eg. reading the poetry of Michelangelo and the letters of Cézanne.

Tutoring Experience

As an art historian I have specialised in the Italian Renaissance and Modern & Contemporary Art and Architecture, with first-hand experience of working closely with many leading international artists and theorists for more than 20 years. This has transformed my understanding and teaching of the subject. Through my magazine and curatorial work, I have lectured at a variety of educational and public venues (including the National Portrait Gallery in London, the V&A during London Design Festival, and Roca London & Barcelona Galleries), and have curated and hosted many talk events that seek to communicate, clarify and articulate aspects and themes in modern and contemporary art and architecture. I am accomplished in teaching others to write about Art History with rigorous academic precision but also fresh sparks of originality, and I encourage thinking outside the box. In terms of my English tuition, I have taught literature and creative writing through The Children's Bookshow from 2009-19 and have an author's insight into literary analysis and the empathy and open-minded engagement that every student should bring to a work of fiction. Words and images: these are the driving force in my life.

Tutoring Approach

My approach is creative, warm and inspiring, but also academically meticulous, with a focus on clear structures and a multi-angled analysis, always remembering how an artwork has been made too; it is not just about theory. Art History is a subject that can be approached from many different angles and can encompass many fascinating subjects, from history and fine art to philosophy and psychology, often rethinking the past. I have worked with many of the leading artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and the remarkable insight I have gained is what I teach to my students, in order to stand out and shine brightly in this most wonderful of subjects.