I was pleased to read Richard Calvocoressi’s long and thoughtful obituary of Alan Bowness (see below), having expected there to be others in the papers today. It feels as if it does justice to the full breadth of his achievements at the Tate, which can sometimes be overlooked – the opening of Tate Liverpool, the establishment of the Turner Prize and the two Patrons schemes to help with the funding of acquisitions. What I hadn’t fully appreciated was the astonishing range and depth of acquisitions during his time at the Tate.

There is a very good interview with Bowness in the recent volume, Living Museums: Conversations with Leading Museum Directors, by Donatien Grau which amplifies Calvocoressi’s account, including Bowness’s national service as a conscientious objector and the fact that he was shortlisted to be Director of the Tate in 1964.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/feature/alan-bowness-obituary