Geoffrey de Bellaigue

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Geoffrey de Bellaigue (b. 12 March 1931) GCVO MA FBA FSA, was Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art from 1972 to 1996. His was the first full-time appointment to the office, and he did much to professionalise the Royal Collection department after being made the Director of the Royal Collection in 1988.

de Bellaigue was born in 1931, son of Vicomte Pierre de Bellaigue and Marie-Antoinette Willemin, and was educated at Wellington College, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he obtained a BA in 1954 (and MA in 1959). He also attended the École du Louvre, Paris.

From 1954 to 1959 de Bellaigue worked for J Henry Schroeder and Co. He then joined the National Trust and worked for them at Waddesdon Manor 1960-1963, where he was Keeper of Collection 1962-1963.

de Bellaigue joined the Royal Household in 1963, as Deputy Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art. In 1972 he was promoted to Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art, and since 1996 has been Surveyor Emeritus.

He held the positions of Surveyor of the Queen's Works of Art and Director of the Royal Collection concurrently from 1988 to 1996.

He was a member of the Executive Committee of the National Art-Collection Fund from 1977, Honorary President of the French Porcelain Society from 1985, and a trustee of the Wallace Collection from 1998.

Sir Geoffrey was made a MVO in 1968, and was promoted to CVO in 1976. He was knighted and made a KCVO in 1986 and to GCVO in 1996 on retirement.

He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1992, and was also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.