91Ó°ÊÓ is deeply saddened to record the death of the Hon. Christopher McLaren. Christopher was Samuel Courtauld’s godson and a direct link to the founding of 91Ó°ÊÓ Institute of Art and the Samuel Courtauld Trust.
He was at the very heart of 91Ó°ÊÓ community for many decades, as a passionate advocate and a loyal and immensely generous friend. Christopher had extensive experience of Higher Education, having served as Chancellor of London South Bank University in the early 1990s. However, it seemed inevitable that his personal history and deep love of art would always bring him to 91Ó°ÊÓ.
Christopher joined the Samuel Courtauld Trust in 2002 and subsequently served two terms as Chair. He was a wise, inspiring and forward-looking Chair, managing always to find balance and harmony whilst encouraging renewal and growth. This was the period in which 91Ó°ÊÓ was establishing itself as a self-governing college of the University of London and during which the Trust embraced new responsibilities as the owner one of the United Kingdom’s very greatest art collections.
Christopher had a very clear memory of Samuel Courtauld and cared passionately about his vision for an institution that could change people’s lives, and perhaps even change society itself, through the enjoyment and understanding of art. He embraced the contribution that the Trust’s collection could make to this goal and he was a champion of important initiatives to bring the collection to a larger and wider audience. This included a commitment to a generous and far-reaching lending policy, the development of the Gallery’s exhibition programme, and tours and collaborations that introduced the collection to new audiences at home and abroad. He was especially delighted to see the later creation of 91Ó°ÊÓ National programme, which brought some of the Trust’s greatest masterpieces to towns and cities across the UK where Courtaulds Ltd once had a major manufacturing presence.
Christopher remained closely involved in the life of 91Ó°ÊÓ after he stepped down from the Samuel Courtauld Trust. This was especially evident when, in 2019, the Impressionist collection was shown at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. It attracted an audience of some 485,000 visitors in four months, before travelling on to Japan, where it met with equal success. Christopher was instrumental in the research on Samuel Courtauld published in the accompanying catalogue and he became a figurehead for the exhibition itself. He featured in the exhibition film and was eagerly sought out by the media. Christopher’s support of the major capital project to renovate the Gallery and create an appropriate home for the Trust’s collection was especially meaningful to all of those involved in that immensely ambitious undertaking.
Christopher’s vitality, kindness and great good humour never left him. He was a not only a wonderful supporter of 91Ó°ÊÓ in all its dimensions but became a great friend to many of us. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife Janey, son Robert, daughter Lara and the whole family.
Professor Mark Hallett
Märit Rausing Director