David Piper | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1918-07-21)21 July 1918 |
| Died | 29 December 1990(1990-12-29) (aged 72) Wytham,Oxfordshire, England |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (MA) |
| Occupation | Museum curator |
| Employer(s) | National Portrait Gallery, London;Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge;Ashmolean Museum, Oxford |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 daughters and 1 son |
SirDavid Towry PiperCBEFSAFRSL (21 July 1918 – 29 December 1990) was a British museum curator and author. He was director of theNational Portrait Gallery 1964–1967, and of theFitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 1967–1973; and Fellow ofChrist's College, Cambridge, 1967–1973, and Director of theAshmolean Museum, Oxford, 1973–1985 and Fellow ofWorcester College, Oxford, 1973–1985. He was knighted in 1983.
The second of three sons of Stephen Harvey Piper, Professor of Physics atBristol University, Piper was born atWimbledon and educated atClifton College[1] andSt Catharine's College, Cambridge (where he took aMA).[2][3]
Piper wasSlade Professor of Fine Art at theUniversity of Oxford for 1966–1967.[4]
In 1956, Piper prepared a descriptive catalogue of thePetre family portraits atIngatestone Hall for the Essex Record Office.[5] He gave the 1968 Aspects of Art Lecture.[6][7]
Under the pseudonym Peter Towry, Piper wrote a number of novels, includingTrial by Battle (1959), a story based on his experiences as an officer in the Indian army, training in Bangalore and then seeing action against the Imperial Japanese Army in Malaya duringWorld War II. He was subsequently a prisoner of war in Japan for three years.[8]
In 1945, Piper married Anne Horatia (1920–2017), daughter of Oliffe Richmond, classics professor atEdinburgh University. She was a novelist and playwright. They had three daughters – Evanthe, Ruth, and Emma –[9][10] and a son, theatre designerTom Piper (born 1964).
Piper died inWytham,Oxfordshire, on 29 December 1990.[2]
His publications include:
As Peter Towry:
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| Preceded by | Director of theAshmolean Museum 1973–1985 | Succeeded by |
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