British museum curator and author (1918–1990)
Sir David Towry Piper CBE FSA FRSL (21 July 1918 – 29 December 1990) was a British museum curator and author. He was director of the National Portrait Gallery 1964–1967, and of the Fitzwilliam Museum , Cambridge, 1967–1973; and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge , 1967–1973, and Director of the Ashmolean Museum , Oxford, 1973–1985 and Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford , 1973–1985. He was knighted in 1983.
The second of three sons of Stephen Harvey Piper, Professor of Physics at Bristol University , Piper was born at Wimbledon and educated at Clifton College [ 1] St Catharine's College, Cambridge (where he took a MA ).[ 2] [ 3]
Piper was Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Oxford for 1966–1967.[ 4]
In 1956, Piper prepared a descriptive catalogue of the Petre family portraits at Ingatestone Hall for the Essex Record Office.[ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
Under the pseudonym Peter Towry, Piper wrote a number of novels, including Trial 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 during World 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 at Edinburgh University . She was a novelist and playwright. They had three daughters – Evanthe, Ruth, and Emma –[ 9] [ 10] Tom Piper (born 1964).
Piper died in Wytham , Oxfordshire , on 29 December 1990.[ 2]
Publications
His publications include:
Petre Family Portraits . Essex Record Office Publication No 26. 1956.The English Face The Companion Guide to London . Collins. 1964.As Peter Towry:
Richard said no .. . Morrow. 1953.It's Warm Inside . Chatto and Windus. 1953.Lord Minimus, a Heroic Comedy . Chatto and Windus. 1955.Trial by Battle . Hutchinson. 1959.Imperial War Museum but as by David Piper)[ 11] Please Count Your Change . Macmillan. 1962.
References
^ "Clifton College Register" Muirhead, J.A.O. p475: Bristol; J.W Arrowsmith for Old Cliftonian Society; April, 1948
^ a b "Piper, Sir David Towry" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography doi :10.1093/ref:odnb/39819 . ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8 . Retrieved 16 October 2019 .(Subscription or UK public library membership required.) (subscription required) ^ Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes, Volume 95, Kelly's Directories, 1969, p. 1585
^ "Oxford Slade Professors, 1870–present" (PDF) . University of Oxford. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015 .^ Piper, David (1956). Petre family Portraits . Essex Record Office Publication No 26.^ "Aspects of Art Lectures" . The British Academy .^ Piper, David (1970). "The Development of the British Literary Portrait up to Samuel Johnson" (PDF) . Proceedings of the British Academy . 54 : 51– 72. ^ "David Piper, 72, Dies; British Art Historian" . The New York Times . Retrieved 17 April 2015 .^ "OBITUARY: Lady Anne Piper, who has died aged 96" . Oxford Times . Retrieved 8 November 2017 .^ "The joy of sets" . The Sunday Herald . Retrieved 8 November 2017 .^ "IWM classics: Trial by Battle" .
Bibliography
Cultural offices
Preceded by
Director of the Ashmolean Museum Succeeded by
International National Academics People Other
