Simon Schama

Simon Schama
Financial Times · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Simon Schama
Birth date	13 February 1945
Birth place	Marylebone, London
Occupation	Historian, television presenter, art critic, writer
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge, Harvard University
Notable works	The Embarrassment of Riches; Citizens; The Power of Art
Spouse	Virginia Papaioannou (m. 1967–1983), Clare Mulley (m. 1992– )

Simon Schama is a British historian, art critic, and television presenter known for narrative histories that bridge academic scholarship and public audiences. His work spans cultural history, Dutch Golden Age studies, French Revolution analysis, and visual culture, producing influential books and televised series that reached wide international audiences. Schama has held professorships at leading institutions, contributed to major publications, and received numerous honors for scholarship and broadcasting.

Early life and education

Born in Marylebone, London to Lithuanian-Jewish immigrant parents, Schama grew up in Southend-on-Sea and later Reading, attending Leighton Park School and The Berkshire School. He read history at St John's College, Cambridge under tutors influenced by Christopher Hill and John H. Plumb, taking a first-class degree before moving to the United States to study at Harvard University for postgraduate work. His doctoral research engaged with the Dutch Golden Age and broadened into comparative cultural history, reflecting methodological influences from scholars such as E. P. Thompson, Eric Hobsbawm, and Fernand Braudel.

Academic career and appointments

Schama began his academic career with a lectureship at Cambridge University and a fellowship at King's College, Cambridge, later accepting positions at Harvard University and Columbia University. He was appointed to the Princeton University faculty and later returned to the United Kingdom as a professor at University College London and New York University (as a visiting professor). Schama held the position of Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University and served as a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. Over his career he collaborated with scholars and institutions including Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, British Academy, and the National Gallery, London on research and exhibitions.

Major works and publications

Schama's influential monographs include The Embarrassment of Riches (1987), a reinterpretation of Dutch Golden Age culture that dialogues with works on Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, and Hendrick Avercamp; Citizens (1989), a political and cultural history of the French Revolution engaging with figures such as Maximilien Robespierre, Louis XVI, and Napoleon Bonaparte; and Dead Certainties (1991), which addresses historical methodology in the context of events like the Pembrokeshire witch trials and controversies involving Ronald Reagan. His book Landscape and Memory (1995) surveys cultural interpretations of landscape across sites such as Britain, France, and Netherlands and references artists like J. M. W. Turner and writers like William Wordsworth. The Power of Art (2006) examines artists including Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Picasso and was tied to a major televised series. Schama has edited and contributed to collections on art history, political history, and narrative historiography, engaging debates with scholars like Natalie Zemon Davis, Geoffrey Elton, and Robert Darnton.

Television, film and broadcasting

Schama became widely known through television series such as A History of Britain (2000–2002) produced with BBC Two and narrated for audiences in United Kingdom and international markets, The Power of Art (2006) for BBC Two, and Rough Crossings (2007), which examined Atlantic slave trade history and figures like Olaudah Equiano and Toussaint Louverture. He presented documentary films linking visual analysis to historical narrative, collaborating with broadcasters including the BBC, PBS, and Channel 4. Schama's broadcasting style combined on-location presentation at sites like Hampton Court Palace, Versailles, and Amsterdam with studio narration, bringing scholarly debates into public forums alongside curators from institutions such as the Tate Modern, British Museum, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Honors, awards and memberships

Schama has received honorary degrees and awards from universities including Oxford University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, and Yale University, and has been elected a fellow of bodies such as the British Academy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His broadcasting and writing have been recognized with awards from organizations like the Royal Television Society and literary prizes associated with British Book Awards. He has served on advisory panels for cultural institutions including the National Gallery, London and the Victoria and Albert Museum, and has been appointed to honors such as the Order of the British Empire in recognition of contributions to historical scholarship and public education.

Personal life and viewpoints

Schama married Virginia Papaioannou and later Clare Mulley; his family connections include ties to Greece through his first wife and to contemporary cultural circles in London and New York City. He has publicly expressed views on topics including Zionism, Israel–Palestine conflict, and the role of memory in public history, engaging in debates with commentators from The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Spectator. Schama's approach to history emphasizes narrative, visual evidence, and moral judgement, aligning him with historians such as Simon Schama (unnamed) avoided), while provoking critique from proponents of more quantitative or structuralist methods represented by scholars like Fernand Braudel and Marc Bloch.

Category:British historians Category:Historians of art Category:Television presenters