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Peter Erik Lasko (5 March 1924 – 18 May 2003) was a British art historian, Professor of Visual Art at the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...
, from 1965 to 1974, Director of the
Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. The art collection is known particularly for ...
, London, from 1974–85 and a Fellow of the
British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...
.


Life

Lasko was born and grew up in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, where his father Leo Lasko worked in the film industry as a director and screenwriter. The family moved to England in 1936. He attended
Saint Martin's School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art school, art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's beca ...
but soon switched to art history, firstly studying at Birbeck College under
Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...
, then at the
Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. The art collection is known particularly for ...
from 1946 to 1949. In 1950 he became assistant keeper in the Department of British and Medieval Antiquities at the
British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
, where he remained for 15 years. In 1965, he became the first professor of art history at the new
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...
(UEA) establishing the School of Fine Art and Music. He brought together a teaching staff which people have said was second only to the Courtauld Institute of Art. He assembled academics such as Andrew Martindale, headhunted from the Courtauld, who was his successor as Professor of Visual Art when Lasko left after eight years to become Director of the Courtauld Institute, succeeding
Anthony Blunt Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 – 26 March 1983), (formerly styled Sir Anthony Blunt from 1956 until November 1979), was a leading British art historian and a Soviet spy. Blunt was a professor of art history at the University ...
in 1974. Described as ‘a brilliant administrator’, Lasko, when he was at UEA, secured the gift of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts when he persuaded Sir Robert and Lady Lisa Sainsbury that it was a perfect place to house their collection of artworks and ethnographic objects. The building, housing both the gallery and the school, was designed by
Norman Foster Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank (born 1 June 1935) is an English architect. Closely associated with the development of high-tech architecture, Lord Foster is recognised as a key figure in British modernist architecture. Hi ...
and opened in 1974. It was on the strength of these administrative skills and track record that he was given the directorship of the Courtauld. The main task that Blunt left was to find a new permanent home for the institute, which, after a few twists and turns, Lasko did by starting negotiations with the Secretary of State and the Treasury to move the Courtald to
Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...
in the north wing facing the Strand. It was a move, completed in 1989, not overseen by Lasko as, after securing the majority of the funding, he retired in 1985 citing ill health. While he was at the Courtauld he donated photographs to the Conway Library whose archive of primarily architectural photographs are being digitised as part of the wider Courtald Connects project. Following his retirement from the Courtauld he devoted much of his time to the "Corpus Of Romanesque Sculpture In Great Britain And Northern Ireland", a project he took over from George Zarnecki, and a book on
German Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
art, which was published after his death. Lasko became a British citizen in 1948 and in 1981 was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(CBE). He was also made a fellow of The
British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...
. A
festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
in his honour, ''Studies in Medieval Art and Architecture : presented to Peter Lasko'', was published in 1994.


Work at public institutions

*
British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
- member of board of trustees, 1980–95 * Royal Armouries - trustee, 1983–91 * Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England - member, 1984–90 * Cathedrals Fabric Commission - member, 1984–96 * American University of London - academic governor of Richmond College, 1988–2001 Having become a fan while he was at UEA, Lasko continued to be a supporter of
Norwich City Football Club Norwich City Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football ...
. Peter Lasko died in France on 18 May 2003. He was survived by his wife Lyn, who he married in 1948, and three daughters.


Publications

* ''The Kingdom of the Franks: North-west Europe Before Charlemagne'', London : Thames and Hudson, 1971, * ''Ars Sacra: 800-1200'', New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, 1994. Previous ed.: London: Penguin, 1972, * ''Medieval Art in East Anglia, 1300-1520'', ed. N. J. Morgan, London : Thames and Hudson, 1973, * ''The Painting Collections of the Courtauld Institute of Art'', 1979 * ''Two Ivory Kings in the British Museum and the Norman Conquest'', Newcastle upon Tyne : University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1983, * ''Wells Cathedral west front. Construction, sculpture and conservation'' by Jerry Sampson, Foreword H.R.H.
The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
, Preface Peter Lasko, Stroud : Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1998, * ''The Expressionist Roots of Modernism'', Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2003,


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lasko, Peter Directors of the Courtauld Institute of Art Writers from Berlin German art historians 1924 births 2003 deaths Employees of the British Museum Academics of the University of East Anglia Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Trustees of the British Museum Alumni of Saint Martin's School of Art German male non-fiction writers Fellows of the British Academy People of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England