Opera, next to Gothic architecture, is one of the strangest inventions of Western man. It could not have been foreseen by any logical process.

In 1946 Clark resigned his directorship in order to devote more time to writing. As Director of the National Gallery he oversaw the successful relocation and storage of the collection to avoid the Blitz and continued a programme of concerts and performances. Early career
A protégé of the most influential art critic of the time Bernard Berenson Clark quickly became the British art establishment's most respected aesthetician.

Kenneth McKenzie Clark Baron Clark OM CH KCB FBA (13 July 1903 – 21 May 1983) was a British author museum director broadcaster and one of the best-known art historians of his generation writing a series of books that appealed to a wide public while remaining serious contributions to scholarship. In 1969 he achieved an international popular presence as the writer producer and presenter of the BBC Television series Civilisation which pioneered a style of television documentary series combining a personalized narration by a leading expert with lavish photography and shooting on location.