Andrew Spira

An art historian, author and curator, Andrew studied at the Courtauld Institute of Art and City University, London. He began his career at the Temple Gallery, specialists in Byzantine, Russian and Greek icons, where he developed a lasting interest in Russian art. He went on to work as a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the Silver, Metalwork and Jewellery Department, and contributed to the museum’s British Galleries.

Andrew was subsequently Programme Director at Christie’s Education for fourteen years. Alongside his teaching, curatorial work and tours, he continues to write and research across a wide range of subjects. His book The Avant-Garde Icon explores the relationship between traditional icon painting and the radical visual language of twentieth-century Russian art, while The Invention of the Self and Simulated Selves (both Bloomsbury Academic, 2020) examine personal identity and the ways it has been expressed through the material culture of western Europe.

For more than twenty years Andrew has led cultural tours to Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and destinations across Europe. His Travel Editions tours explore the art, architecture and cultural history of cities including Seville and the Côte d’Azur, with a wide-ranging perspective that connects religious art, decorative design, architecture and modernism.

Combining considerable scholarship with a thoughtful, approachable style and a dry sense of humour, Andrew encourages travellers to look closely and make connections. His lectures and commentary help guests see familiar artists, buildings and collections from a fresh perspective, adding depth and insight to every visit.