I was very sad to hear of the death this morning of my good and remarkable friend, Christopher Ondaatje, aged 93.
Christopher came into my life in 1996 when I was Director of the National Portrait Gallery. We were looking to raise money for what became the Ondaatje Wing. I got a message from Henry Keswick, my chairman, that he had been approached at second hand by a Canadian philanthropist who might be willing to help. Christopher and I had lunch in the garden of the Chelsea Arts Club with Peter Johnson, a dealer who knew Christopher well. It was the first of many memorable occasions when Christopher grilled me about the NPG, its policies and finances. He was a donor who believed in due diligence.
As it happened, he was just setting off to central Africa to do research for the book which became Journey to the Source of the Nile. He was going to be out of contact for the next three months. I arranged for him to come and have lunch at the NPG with Peter Carington who was co-chair of our fund-raising committee on Christopher’s return. After lunch, Christopher handed me a cheque which was nearly the full amount we required for the project.
We became, and remained, close friends. I always liked and admired the intensity of his engagement with people. He had been educated at Blundells and then went to work in the City. But I suspect that the City in the early 1950s was not very hospitable to someone of Dutch Sinhalese descent and he emigrated to Toronto where he made money in a brokerage firm and then as a publisher. He loved cricket and he and his wife, Valda, who had been the tennis champion of Newfoundland, moved to England when he decided to give up making money and turn to philanthropy and writing. They had the most beautiful house, Glenthorne, on the north coast of Devon, where his brother wrote The English Patient, and an island off the coast of Nova Scotia.
In recent years, he hasn’t been able to travel to London, so I haven’t seen him for a while, but we remained in touch.
I’m pleased that his portrait by Daphne Todd still hangs in a place of honour in the wing he made possible.
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
Christopher was a great and, as you say, very thoughtful benefactor to the Portrait Gallery. After his first great donation to the renewal of the building he was a trustee in my period as director, and always appropriately separated his thinking as a trustee from his status as a philanthropist. He helped support the creation of the Portrait Fund, and was a positive presence for myself and the senior team.
Yes, I was so glad he was made a trustee – after my time. He always said he didn’t want to be a trustee and I made the mistake of believing him. Charles
Moving and interesting Charles. Thank you. Your note also adds to my enjoyment of the NPG and the Daphne Todd portrait.