Matthew Spender
Matthew Spender (6 February 1945 – 31 May 2026) was an English sculptor and writer.
Also recorded as Matthew Francis Michael Spender
Matthew Spender

Massimo Presciutti · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Born
- 1945 · London.
- Died
- 2026
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Occupation
- sculptor · painter · writer · biographer
- Education
- University of Oxford
- Languages
- English · Italian
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q19859309 · wikipedia · Matthew Spender
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Complete reading chain (JSON)In this article
Life and career
Life and career
Spender was born in London, England in 1945, the son of the poet Stephen Spender and the pianist Natasha Spender. He was the father of Saskia Spender and the filmmaker Cosima Spender. He was the author of From a High Place: A Life of Arshile Gorky (1999), a biography of his father-in-law, the artist Arshile Gorky, and A House in St John's Wood (2015), about his father, the poet Stephen Spender. He also wrote Within Tuscany: Reflections on a Time and Place (1992, Viking, and 1993, Penguin). Spender died in Gaiole in Chianti, Tuscany on 31 May 2026, at the age of 81.
Documentary record
Matthew Spender appears in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a sculptor and painter (1945 – 31 May 2026). Matthew Spender was born in 1945 in London and died on 31 May 2026 in Gaiole in Chianti.
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
The authorities additionally record the heading Matthew Francis Michael Spender. His recorded languages were English and Italian. He was the child of Stephen Spender and Natasha Spender. He married Maro Gorky. Other recorded relations include Arshile Gorky.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1945
Matthew Spender born at London.
2026
Matthew Spender died.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Gaiole in Chianti
Residences
London.
Birth place
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Matthew Spender, revision 1372743886 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."Matthew Spender." Contemporary Authors Online. Gale, 2017. Retrieved via Biography in Context database, 16 December 2017.
- 2.https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/cosima-spender/
- 3.Andrew Solomon, "His Life Was a Forgery", The New York Times, 11 July 1999.
- 4."A House in St John's Wood", bookdepository.com.
- 5.TG24, Sky. Arte, è morto Matthew Spender l'artista che incantò Bertolucci. tg24.sky.it. 31 May 2026.
- 6.The Times. Matthew Spender obituary: sculptor and painter. 5 June 2026.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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