Goodbye art history A-level, you served the elite well | Jonathan Jones

History of art only really flourished in private schools. If it’s to be revived, it needs to draw on the days of great communicators such as Kenneth Clark

This autumn yet another new edition of EH Gombrich’s classic 1950 book The Story of Art – the “Luxury” edition – will be out in time for Christmas. Meanwhile the BBC is hard at work on Civilisations, an epic attempt to regain the factual television heights of Kenneth Clark’s 1969 series Civilisation.

Related: Last art history A-level axed after Michael Gove cull of 'soft' subjects

Far from a savage attack on the people’s art history, this is the end of one privilege of the public-school elite

Related: Kenneth Clark: a civilised man?

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