Sir Denis Mahon is a collector and historian of Italian art born in London, England, on November 8, 1910. Considered to be one of the few art collectors who is also a respected scholar, he is generally credited with bringing Italian Baroque painters to the attention of the public and scholars throughout the English-speaking world. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

After attending Eton, Mahon enrolled at Christ Church, Oxford University, where he received an M.A. He spent a year working at the Ashmolean Museum under the supervision of Kenneth Clark, then in 1933 he enrolled at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. It was here that he was introduced to Italian Baroque painting in a series of lectures by Nikolaus Pevsner, who also gave him private tuition. He bought his first artwork, Guercino's Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph in 1934 in Paris for £120. He subsequently met art historian Otto Kurz, whom he frequently used as an Italian translator, in the late 1930s, and together they travelled to Russia to study Italian masters. Mahon's Studies in Seicento Art and Theory, a series of essays promoting Italian art of the 1600s, was published in 1947. In the 1950s, he became a trustee of the National Gallery. In 1999, Mahon, who has received honorary doctorates from Newcastle, Oxford, Rome, and Bologna, donated his entire art collection to public museums throughout the British Isles and Italy. Eton can refer to several things: Eton, Berkshire, a town in England. ... Christ Church is the name of various churches and cathedrals, usually Protestant, named after Jesus Christ himself. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The Ashmolean Museum (in full the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology) in Oxford, England is the worlds first university museum. ... Sir Kenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM CH KCB, (July 13, 1903 – May 21, 1983) was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and the most famous art historian of his generation. ... The Courtauld Institute of Art is a listed organisation of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Sir Nikolaus Pevsner CBE (January 30, 1902 – August 18, 1983) was a German-born British historian of art and, especially, architecture. ... The Italian painter Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591—1666) known as Guercino, was born at Cento, a village not far from Bologna. ... The National Gallery from Trafalgar Square The National Gallery is an art gallery in London, located on the north side of Trafalgar Square. ...

A leading proponent of admission-free art museums, Mahon was knighted in 1986 and made a Companion of Honour in 2002 for his services to art.

External links

• Profile from the Dictionary of Art Historians
• Article from Times Magazine
• Article from Courtauld Institute of Art