Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo
Encyclopedia
Peter Garth Palumbo, Baron Palumbo (born 20 July 1935) is a property developer, art collector and architecture connoisseur.
, Surrey and then Eton College
and Worcester College, Oxford
, whence he received an M.A.
in law. He married Denia Wigram in 1959, and they had one son, Ministry of Sound
founder James Palumbo
, and two daughters. They divorced in 1977. After Wigram died in 1986, he married Hayat Mrowa (daughter of the Lebanese newspaper publisher Kamel Mroue) with whom he had another son and two daughters.
In 1972 he bought Farnsworth House, designed by Mies van der Rohe, to which Palumbo added the designer's furniture. He also expanded the grounds of the house by purchasing adjacent properties and commissioned noted sculptors including Anthony Caro
and Richard Serra
to provide artworks for the grounds. Palumbo sold the property to a group of Mies conservationists in 2003. Palumbo also owns Kentuck Knob
, a private house built by Frank Lloyd Wright
in the mountains just east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and for a time owned Le Corbusier
's Maisons Jaoul
in Neuilly-sur-Seine
near Paris.
Palumbo was a trustee of the Tate Gallery
from 1978 until 1985 and chairman of the gallery's foundation between 1986 and 1987. He formerly served as a trustee for the Whitechapel Art Gallery and is a trustee of the Natural History Museum
and the chairman of the Serpentine Gallery
's board of trustees. Margaret Thatcher
appointed him chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain
from 1988 until 1993. In 1994 Palumbo demolished the Mappin & Webb
building in London and replaced it with No 1 Poultry
, which was opened by Thatcher. He was also the former chancellor of the University of Portsmouth
and the chairman of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery
. He has been on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation
. Palumbo is chairman of the jury of the Prtizker Architecture Prize.
Palumbo led the effort to repair St Stephen Walbrook
church in London, a building by Sir Christopher Wren
which had been badly damaged during The Blitz
. The sculptor Henry Moore
was commissioned by Palumbo to build a white stone altar for the church. The former rector of St Stephen Walbrook
, Dr Chad Varah
, was also the family chaplain.
He was created a life peer
by Thatcher on 4 February 1991 as Baron Palumbo of Walbrook
in the City of London, after the neighbourhood around St Stephen Walbrook.
Biography
Palumbo is the son of Rudolph Palumbo and his wife Elsie. He went to ScaitcliffeScaitcliffe
Scaitcliffe was a day/boarding prep school for boys aged 6-13 in Egham, Surrey. After merging with Virginia Water school, the school is now co-educational and known as Bishopsgate school. The school is located in a small village in Egham called Englefield Green near Windsor Great Park...
, Surrey and then Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
, whence he received an M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in law. He married Denia Wigram in 1959, and they had one son, Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
founder James Palumbo
James Palumbo
James 'Jamie' Palumbo is the co-founder and Chairman of Ministry of Sound Group, the international music and nightclub business.He was born in London on June 6 1963, and educated at Eton College and Worcester College, Oxford...
, and two daughters. They divorced in 1977. After Wigram died in 1986, he married Hayat Mrowa (daughter of the Lebanese newspaper publisher Kamel Mroue) with whom he had another son and two daughters.
In 1972 he bought Farnsworth House, designed by Mies van der Rohe, to which Palumbo added the designer's furniture. He also expanded the grounds of the house by purchasing adjacent properties and commissioned noted sculptors including Anthony Caro
Anthony Caro
Sir Anthony Alfred Caro, OM, CBE is an English abstract sculptor whose work is characterised by assemblages of metal using 'found' industrial objects.-Background and early life:...
and Richard Serra
Richard Serra
Richard Serra is an American minimalist sculptor and video artist known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. Serra was involved in the Process Art Movement.-Early life and education:...
to provide artworks for the grounds. Palumbo sold the property to a group of Mies conservationists in 2003. Palumbo also owns Kentuck Knob
Kentuck Knob
Kentuck Knob, also known as the Hagan House, is a residence designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in rural Stewart Township near the village of Chalk Hill, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA, about southeast of Pittsburgh...
, a private house built by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
in the mountains just east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and for a time owned Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
's Maisons Jaoul
Maisons Jaoul
Maisons Jaoul are a celebrated pair of houses in the upmarket Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, designed by Le Corbusier and built in 1954-56. The buildings were drawn in 1937 but were only built postwar for André Jaoul and his son Michel...
in Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
near Paris.
Palumbo was a trustee of the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
from 1978 until 1985 and chairman of the gallery's foundation between 1986 and 1987. He formerly served as a trustee for the Whitechapel Art Gallery and is a trustee of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
and the chairman of the Serpentine Gallery
Serpentine Gallery
The Serpentine Gallery is an art gallery in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, central London. It focuses on modern and contemporary art. The exhibitions, architecture, education and public programmes attract approximately 750,000 visitors a year...
's board of trustees. Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
appointed him chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
from 1988 until 1993. In 1994 Palumbo demolished the Mappin & Webb
Mappin and Webb
Mappin & Webb is a company originally founded in Sheffield, England. The company is a noted firm of Silversmiths and formerly cutlery manufactures with roots back to 1774 when Joseph Mappin founded the firm. The company is now a retail jeweller, and Royal Warrant holder.-Arundel & Mappin:The firm...
building in London and replaced it with No 1 Poultry
No 1 Poultry
No 1 Poultry is an office and retail building in London. It was designed by James Stirling for a site then owned by developer Peter Palumbo, and first assembled by Palumbo's father Rudolph in the 1960's...
, which was opened by Thatcher. He was also the former chancellor of the University of Portsmouth
University of Portsmouth
The University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The University was ranked 60th out of 122 in The Sunday Times University Guide...
and the chairman of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....
. He has been on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation
The Architecture Foundation
The Architecture Foundation was Britain's first independent architecture centre. Established in 1991, it aims to promote contemporary architecture.The Architecture Foundation has organised public exhibitions, design initiatives, competitions and debates....
. Palumbo is chairman of the jury of the Prtizker Architecture Prize.
Palumbo led the effort to repair St Stephen Walbrook
St Stephen Walbrook
St Stephen, Walbrook is a small church in the City of London, part of the Church of England's Diocese of London. It is located in Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, and near to Bank and Monument Underground stations.-History:In the second century A.D...
church in London, a building by Sir Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
which had been badly damaged during The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
. The sculptor Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
was commissioned by Palumbo to build a white stone altar for the church. The former rector of St Stephen Walbrook
St Stephen Walbrook
St Stephen, Walbrook is a small church in the City of London, part of the Church of England's Diocese of London. It is located in Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, and near to Bank and Monument Underground stations.-History:In the second century A.D...
, Dr Chad Varah
Chad Varah
Reverend Prebendary Edward Chad Varah, CH, CBE was a British Anglican priest. He is best remembered as the founder of The Samaritans, established in 1953 as the world's first crisis hotline organisation, offering non-religious telephone support to those contemplating suicide.-Life:Varah was born...
, was also the family chaplain.
He was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
by Thatcher on 4 February 1991 as Baron Palumbo of Walbrook
Walbrook
Walbrook is the name of a ward, a street and a subterranean river in the City of London.-Underground river:The river played a key role in the Roman settlement of Londinium, the city now known as London. It is thought that the river was named because it ran through or under the London Wall; another...
in the City of London, after the neighbourhood around St Stephen Walbrook.