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It was my great pleasure this week to attend the retirement party given in honour of Professor David Hill at Leeds University. David is the Harewood Professor of Fine Art in the University’s School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies. He was also my PhD supervisor, and I have fond memories of our supervisory meetings, first at Bretton Hall University College, then at Leeds, after the 2001 merger. David’s career has been devoted to British Romantic landscape painting in the 19th century, particularly to the study of J M W Turner, on whom he is a leading authority. Alongside numerous chapters and papers, David’s books are:

J.M.W.Turner: Le Mont Blanc et la Vallee d'Aoste;
Turner and Leeds: Image of Industry
Turner on the Thames
Turner in the North
In Turner’s Footsteps

David has also written on other artists:
Cotman in the North
Thomas Girtin: Genius of the North

David’s retirement from teaching does not equate to a retirement overall; far from it: from 2015, he will be undertaking a 3-year Turner cataloguing project at Leeds Art Gallery.

The above, ageing photograph is David and yours truly at Leeds University on my graduation, back in 2002.