Philip Conisbee (January 3, 1946 – January 16, 2008) was a British-American curator for the American

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

Life

Philip was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, the son of Paul Conisbee, but raised in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, being educated at

St Dunstan's College St Dunstan's College is a coeducation, co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Catford, south-east London, England. It is a registered charity, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference ...

Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green (ward), Rushey Green and Catford South Ward (electoral subdivi ...

before earning a BA in European Art at the

Courtauld Institute 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 ...

in 1968. Continuing in academia, he received a doctorate for his thesis on the French landscape artist

Claude Joseph Vernet Claude-Joseph Vernet (; 14 August 17143 December 1789) was a French painter. His son, Carle Vernet, was also a painter. Life and work Vernet was born in Avignon. When only fourteen years of age he aided his father, Antoine Vernet (1689–1753 ...

in 1971. From 1971 to 1986, he lectured at

Leicester University The University of Leicester ( ) is a public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, University College, Leicester, gained university ...

. He then moved to America to act as Curator of French Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He befriended Earl Powell III and moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to work with him at the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...

in 1988. Powell moved to Washington in 1992 and asked Conisbee to join him the following year. He became a US citizen in 1994. He rose to be Curator of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. In 1998, he organised one of the country's most successful exhibitions: ''Van Gogh's Van Goghs''. In 2003, the French government awarded him ''

Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was o ...

''. He died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

in Georgetown, Washington D.C., but is buried in

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

in north London.

Family

Conisbee first married Susan Baer, with whom he had two children. Following divorce he married Faya Causey, who survived him.

Selected publications

*''Chardin'' (1985) *''Painting in 18th-Century France'' (1981) *''In the Light of Italy: Corot and Early Open-Air Painting'' (1996) *''George de la Tour and his World'' (1996) *''Portraits by Ingres: Image of an Epoch'' (1999) *''Cézanne in Provence'' (2006)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conisbee, Philip 1946 births 2008 deaths American art curators National Gallery of Art Knights of the Legion of Honour Burials at Highgate Cemetery Scholars and academics from Belfast People educated at St Dunstan's College Alumni of the Courtauld Institute of Art Academics of the University of Leicester Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Los Angeles County Museum of Art English emigrants to the United States Deaths from lung cancer in Washington, D.C.