My friend and patron Sir Peter Moores, who has died aged 83 following a stroke, would have worked in opera had his family inheritance not diverted him into philanthropy. This – with its roots in his share of the Littlewoods empire – embraced the arts. Its basis was simple. Whatever he enjoyed, Peter wanted to share.
Much of this sharing was on a grand scale. He funded the recording of some 30 operas in English so that those of us with little or no knowledge of Italian, German or French could understand what was going on. He also purchased, in 1993, Compton Verney, a magnificent country house east of Stratford-upon-Avon, converting it into a museum where he shared his collection of Chinese silver and other precious artworks with visitors. In 2003 his philanthropy was honoured with a knighthood.
Peter was born in Lancashire, the son of John Moores and his wife Ruby (nee Knowles). John, who was also knighted, was the son of a bricklayer; he had worked as a messenger boy before founding, in 1923, Littlewoods Football Pools, followed in the 1930s by a mail order business and the department store chain. Notwithstanding his inherited family riches, Peter was conscious of his working-class roots.
Responding to a request from my wife and collaborator, Wendy Harpe, Peter purchased a former church in Liverpool through his charitable foundation to provide a home for Britain’s first community arts project, originally named Great Georges Community Arts Project and now the Black-E. There were no written agreements. Peter simply invited the community artists (of whom I was one) to take over the building, and 25 years later gave the building to the trustees of the Black-E.
Peter’s patronage made possible a life-changing arts programme for a community of culturally diverse and culturally talented, but also culturally deprived, youngsters – delivering both what they wanted (Motown discos) and what they had never dreamed of (encounters with international artists). Peter also drew the Black-E’s innovatory arts work into mainstream settings, sponsoring a series of events during which visitors to his biennial contemporary arts exhibitions became artists themselves, now a mainstay for many galleries.
Peter was always the most exemplary of hosts. Following a presentation at the Royal College of Art in London in 1970, artists and children from the Black-E were invited to Peter’s home, along with other guests, for refreshments. Afterwards, a Black-E team member reported a conversation overheard in Italian. One of his guests asked Peter: “Who are these noisy and disruptive children?” Peter replied: “They are my friends.”
In 1960, Peter married Luciana Pinto. They divorced in 1984, and he is survived by his daughter, Donatella, and son, Alexis.
