William Mostyn-Owen

William "Willy" Mostyn-Owen (10 May 1929 – 2 May 2011) was a British art historian. He worked for some years with the art expert Bernard Berenson, and was his bibliographer, and later for the auctioneers Christie's.[1]

Not to be confused with William Mostyn Owen, Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire.
William Mostyn-Owen
Born(1929-05-10)10 May 1929
Died2 May 2011(2011-05-02) (aged 81)
NationalityBritish
EducationEton College
Alma materMagdalene College, Cambridge
OccupationArt historian
Spouse(s)Gaia Servadio c. 1961—1989
Faith Clark
Jane Martineau 1992—
Children3
RelativesBoris Johnson (former son-in-law)

Early life

William Mostyn-Owen was born on 10 May 1929 to Lt-Col Roger Arthur Mostyn-Owen (1888-1947) and Margaret Eva Dewhurst. The Mostyn-Owen family were military landed gentry of Woodhouse, Shropshire.[2][3] He had three older brothers and a sister. His brothers all died during the Second World War, and his father died while William was in his teens, so that he inherited the family seat of Woodhouse and the Dewhurst family's Aberuchill Castle, Perthshire, at a young age. He was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge.[1]

Career

After his graduation, Mostyn-Owen worked for the Fogg Museum at Harvard and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In the 1950s, he spent six years working closely with Bernard Berenson, the art expert, at his Villa I Tatti near Florence, and acquired a deep understanding of the art of the Italian Renaissance.[1] In Florence, the British consul commented that Mostyn-Owen was "worth a battleship" for his charm and tact when dealing with American President Harry Truman, the King of Norway and other visiting dignitaries.[1]

He joined the auction house Christie's in London, alongside David Carritt, Noel Annesley, and Brian Sewell, and worked there for almost thirty years. He became a director in 1968, and chairman of Christie's Education from 1979 to 1988.[1]

Personal life

Mostyn-Owen's first wife from 28 September 1960[4] to 1989 was the Italian writer Gaia Servadio, with whom he had three children, Owen (b. 1962), Allegra (b. 1964) and Orlando (b. 1973).[1][5] In 1968, they were living in a single wing of Aberuchill Castle which consisted of "23 rooms or so".[6]

His second wife was Faith Clark, and his third was Jane Martineau, also an art historian, whom he married in 1992.[1]

His daughter Allegra, an art teacher, was the first wife of the politician Boris Johnson.[7] His son Orlando is an artist and a painter.[8]

References
  1. Humphrey Burton. "William Mostyn-Owen obituary | Education". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  2. Burke's Landed Gentry 18th ed., vol. 2, ed. Peter Townend, 1969, p. 482
  3. Pedigree of Owen of Llunllo and Bettws, Co. Montgomery, George Grazebrook, 1887, Page 18
  4. Burke's Landed Gentry 18th ed., vol. 2, ed. Peter Townend, 1969, p. 482
  5. "Orlando Mostyn Owen | The Royal Drawing School". The Royal Drawing School. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  6. Time Inc (7 June 1968). Life. Time Inc. pp. 83–84. ISSN 0024-3019. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  7. Rachel Helyer-Donaldson (8 January 2010). "Boris Johnson's first wife marries again". Theweek.co.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  8. "Orlando Mostyn Owen | The Royal Drawing School". The Royal Drawing School. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
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