Alistair Craig Clunas (born 1 December 1954,Aberdeen,Scotland) is Professor Emeritus of History of Art at theUniversity of Oxford.[1] As a historian of the art and history of China, Clunas has focused particularly on theMing Dynasty (1368–1644).
Clunas attendedAberdeen Grammar School from 1959 to 1972, which was followed by a Diploma with Distinction in spoken and written modern Chinese from thePeking Languages Institute in Beijing. He next studied Chinese Studies atKing's College, Cambridge, as an undergraduate, graduating with a BA (First Class Honours) in 1977 from theUniversity of Cambridge.[2] Afterwards, he went to theSchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at theUniversity of London, where he wrote hisPhD dissertation onInjanasi's "Nigen Dabqur Asar": a Sino-Mongolian novel of the 19th century (completed 1983) under the supervision ofCharles Bawden.
Clunas began his scholarly career atthe Victoria and Albert Museum, where for 15 years he was on the curatorial staff and was responsible for the installation of new Chinese galleries. In 1994, he moved to theUniversity of Sussex, where he became Professor of History of Art in 1997. In 2003, he returned to SOAS where he was the Percival David Professor of Chinese and East Asian Art from 2004.
He took up the position of the University of Oxford's Professor of the History of Art in 2007, becoming - as with all previous holders of the Professorship - a fellow ofTrinity College.[3] He was the first holder of the Chair in the History of Art to specialise in art from Asia.
He retired from the role in 2018, becoming Professor Emeritus of the History of Art, University of Oxford. He served as Visiting Professor of Chinese Art atGresham College in London in 2017-18, delivering a series of lectures.[4]
He has contributed to radio programmes includingIn Our Time[5][6] withMelvyn Bragg andA History of the World in 100 Objects[7] withNeil MacGregor.
Clunas has published extensively on early modern China, his books include:
