Anthony Blunt, Spy From Art History
Cambridge Five, Cambridge Spies During WWII in England
Aug 16, 2009
One of the most famous art historians of the 20th century is Anthony Blunt (1907-1983). This English art historian is perhaps single-handedly responsible for rescuing French artist Nicolas Poussin from obscurity. Blunt also held the prestigious title of Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures. This position was in essence as a curator of the art collection of the Queen of England, and Blunt was so successful in this job that he was knighted as Knight of the Royal Victorian Order in 1956. As Professor of the History of the Arts at the University of London and then as director of the Courtauld Institute, Blunt is remembered fondly by his students and staff. Blunt left the Courtauld Institute with a larger staff, a bigger endowment and an incredible collection of art.
Cambridge Five, Cambridge Spies
So what caused Anthony Blunt to end his career in disgrace and to have his Knighthood stripped by Elizabeth II? In 1979, the British government of Margaret Thatcher revealed that Anthony Blunt had been spying for Communist Russia for decades. Anthony Blunt’s communist leanings began at Trinity College in Cambridge, where in 1932 he joined the Cambridge Apostles, a secret society of mostly Marxists. Blunt was one of the Cambridge Five who included Kim Philby, Donald Duart Maclean, Guy Burgess and John Cairncross.
Embarrassment to Royal Family and England
The further irony here is that Blunt had been outed as a spy in 1963 by fellow spy and Cambridge Apostle Michael Straight, who later went on to publish The New Republic magazine. So why did the British government wait 16 years to announce that Blunt was a traitor and strip Anthony Blunt of his knighthood?
Perhaps the British government and Royal Family was trying to spare themselves embarrassment, that this quiet, gay, art historian who worked closely with the Queen could have fooled them for so long. Blunt is said to have had a very close relationship with the Queen Mother, who would not allow his name to be mentioned after his fall from grace. It also took the rabidly anti-communist, Margaret Thatcher to give this otherwise hero from art history a public thrashing.
Spies For Soviet KGB and British MI5
Even more embarrassing was that Blunt joined the British Army in 1939 and was recruited by MI5, the British Secret Service. Blunt was even sent on a super-secret mission to Germany in 1945 on behalf of the British Royal Family, to recover embarrassing letters from the Duke of Windsor to Adolph Hitler. So Anthony Blunt was in essence a double agent who lived a very secretive and closeted life.
The End and the Memoirs of Blunt
Anthony Blunt spent the last four years of his life writing his memoirs which were then given to the British Library under the terms that they keep it under wraps for 25 years. In July 2009 Blunt's memoirs were made available to the public but because the British Museum is uncertain of who holds the copyright there are no plans to reproduce or publish this most interesting work. While Blunt called his decision to spy “the biggest mistake of my life” he makes no apologies for his actions.
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