They divorced in 1984, and he is survived by his daughter, Donatella, and son, Alexis. “Oh,” said Moores senior, “those are my senior executives. When I worked briefly as Moores’s curatorial adviser in the late 1990s, he outlined his vision for the place. Notwithstanding his inherited family riches, Peter was conscious of his working-class roots. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2006 the Moores' family wealth was estimated at £1,160m. The foundation enabled a permanent Transatlantic Slave Trade Gallery at the Liverpool Merseyside Maritime Museum, in 1994. Sir Peter Moores CBE DL (9 April 1932 – 23 March 2016) was a British businessman, art collector and philanthropist who was chairman of the Liverpool-based Littlewoods football pools and retailing business in the United Kingdom between 1977 and 1980. For more information, contact info@theartnewspaper.com. Sir Peter Moores, the contradictory character of a generous patron of the arts He resembled such plutocratic founders of museums as J. Paul Getty in hating overspending. “You don’t seem to know what you want,” he said, and when I repeated myself, he said, “No, you obviously have no idea.”. He remained a loyal and […] [4], In 1993 the Foundation bought Compton Verney House in Warwickshire, which was then categorized as a building 'at risk', and transferred the ownership to a Trust supported by the Foundation. Son of Sir John Moores, CBE and Ruby Moores When the building was restored, Moores stipulated that it must be seen not as a country house but as a neutral art gallery. [5] In March 2004 the Compton Verney Gallery at the House was opened by Prince Charles. It was with great sadness that we heard the news of Sir Peter Moores’ passing last week. Today, the Gallery has a permanent collection, and varied art collections and temporary exhibitions are also presented. Download premium images you can't get anywhere else. In particular, his long support of Opera Rara allowed the company to develop and flourish when without his annual investment, it would have disappeared. Peter Moores was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, At the age of 32 in 1964, he set up a charitable foundation to further his interests, particularly in music and the visual arts, but also in education, health, social and environmental projects. Moores was socially awkward, especially with strangers, and ably concealed the goodness of his heart—though not from his personal staff, who were strongly attached to him. His Foundation went on in existence until April 5, 2014, when its funds were exhausted. He for many years heavily supported the Opera Rara classical music label, as well as the Opera in English project, and is also active in charitable projects in Barbados. [3], The Peter Moores biennial contemporary art exhibitions were held at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool from 1971 to 1986. John, who was also knighted, was the son of a bricklayer; he had worked as a messenger boy before founding, in 1923, Littlewoods Football Pools, followed in the 1930s by a mail order business and the department store chain. Peter Moores was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford. The foundation contributed to a variety of charitable support initiatives in Barbados in 1973, these activities became a separately constituted organization in 2011. Although the Eton education, the purchase and restoration of Parbold Hall, his country house in Lancashire, the BBC governorship, all apparently allied him with the establishment, he disliked convention, as his patronage showed. Sir John Moores, his father was the founder of the Littlewoods company, though the family no longer owns it. Sir Peter Moores CBE DL (9 April 1932 – 23 March 2016) was a British businessman, art collector and philanthropist who was chairman of the Liverpool-based Littlewoods football pools and retailing business in the United Kingdom between 1977 and 1980.. His father, Sir John Moores, was the founder of the Littlewoods company, though the family no longer owns it. His elder sister Lady Grantchester (née Betty Moores), the widow of Kenneth Bent Suenson-Taylor, 2nd Baron Grantchester (1921–1995) is the nominal head of the family. Whatever he enjoyed, Peter wanted to share. Sir Peter Moores is a man who has touched the lives of millions. He was an individualist, and ruffling people was an element of that individualism. This – with its roots in his share of the Littlewoods empire – embraced the arts. In 2003 his philanthropy was honoured with a knighthood. You smell of coffee already.” Nonplussed, I explained the situation. One of his guests asked Peter: “Who are these noisy and disruptive children?” Peter replied: “They are my friends.”. One attraction of Compton Verney was its location, beautifully rural but geographically central and close to conurbations. [11], To mark its final phase the Foundation's Swansong Project made donations to enable eight new productions in 2014/5 by British opera companies, including the British premiere of George Benjamin's Written on Skin at the Royal Opera House, Terry Gilliam's production of Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini, and three production of operas by Donizetti at the Welsh National Opera. In 2010, the situation at Compton Verney changed. It was with great sadness that we heard the news of Sir Peter Moores’ passing last week. His foundation worked strategically to enrich and extend our horizons, investing long term in projects such as Opera Rara or the Opera in English recordings, without resorting to the micro-managing interference that is often the price paid for donations.”. As a subscriber, you will also get live reports from leading art fairs and events, such as the Venice Biennale, plus special offers from The Art Newspaper. I first met Peter Moores in 1994 when I was the director of the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. He wanted to share the opportunities that he had enjoyed with as many people as possible, and to encourage them to explore art and look for themselves—even though Neapolitan paintings and the rural location are not notably accessible. He showed great faith in Opera Rara’s vision and we will do all we can to ensure that his outstanding legacy is built upon for future generations to enjoy.”. Sir Peter used The Peter Moores Foundation to rescue what remained of the estate at Compton Verney in 1993. Our daily newsletter contains a round-up of the stories published on our website, previews of exhibitions that are opening and more. He was, in his way, a modest man. During 1993, the Foundation bought Compton Verney House in Warwickshire, which was then categorized as a building ‘at risk’, and transferred the ownership to a Trust supported by the Foundation. There would be comfortable sofas and a welcoming atmosphere. Responding to a request from my wife and collaborator, Wendy Harpe, Peter purchased a former church in Liverpool through his charitable foundation to provide a home for Britain’s first community arts project, originally named Great Georges Community Arts Project and now the Black-E. Last modified on Tue 28 Nov 2017 14.37 EST. Wählen Sie aus erstklassigen Inhalten zum Thema Sir Peter Moores in höchster Qualität. As a collector, he resembled such plutocratic founders of museums as Walter Burrell and J. Paul Getty in hating overspending. He funded the recording of some 30 operas in English so that those of us with little or no knowledge of Italian, German or French could understand what was going on. That was not what he wanted, any more than he wanted to be remembered through the survival of the Peter Moores Foundation, which was wound up in 2014. Peter also drew the Black-E’s innovatory arts work into mainstream settings, sponsoring a series of events during which visitors to his biennial contemporary arts exhibitions became artists themselves, now a mainstay for many galleries. Instead, he bought the whole property. We had just announced that the gallery was no longer viable financially and needed an alternative solution. [7] It awarded scholarships to young British singers, including Amanda Roocroft and Simon Keenlyside. We regret to announce that Sir Peter Moores, one of the country’s most liberal arts benefactors, has died at the age of 83. This approach was characteristic. WHEN I was 16 I realised just what a genius Sir John Moores, the founder of Littlewoods, had been. As I arrived, he said, “I won’t offer you any coffee. Reported in the Sunday Times Rich List 2006 the Moores’ family wealth was estimated at £1,160m. On the other hand, his collecting on behalf of Compton Verney, the 18th-century house he bought in 1993, was motivated by his passion for things that had inspired him at various times: an outstanding collection of Chinese bronzes; early German art (which he had learnt to love in the late 1940s); Neapolitan art (selected because of his former Neapolitan wife Luciana Pinto, and also because it was less expensive than other Italian schools); and portraits of English kings and queens, acquired for educational purposes.