Obituaries
Andrew Julian Lax (1954-62) 27.02.1944 – 11.05.2004
It was always fun to be in Julian’s company, for he was knowledgeable and entertaining, with an irreverent sense of humour; but beneath the waspish wit lay a warm, generous spirit and deep concern for the welfare of his fellow humans. One who believed that art should be accessible and, above all, enjoyable, he did much to further the cause of art in Cornwall, and would surely have made a valuable contribution to its evolution in the new millennium had not his own future been so cruelly ended in the road traffic accident which claimed his life. Our abiding memory of him should not, however, be one of sadness but of joy. His friendship with the then Newlyn-based Sir Terry Frost produced a priceless moment when Julian, observing the artist hesitating as he worked on a seascape, suggested the addition of one of Frost’s signature yellow suns – which was instantly painted in, transforming the scene. In so many ways, Julian Lax brought the light into people’s lives. This obituary was contributed by George Melio (55-63) and Sir Colin Rimer (54-62).
Julian Lax was born in Cambridge to Jewish parents who had escaped from Czechoslovakia in 1939. Following the family’s move to Kent, he attended Dulwich Prep before going on to the College in 1954, where he was in
Spenser. His background was cultured, cosmopolitan – his mother was an artist, and for their house in Shortlands his father had chosen a radical, Bauhaus- inspired design. Unsurprisingly Julian evinced an early interest in the arts, joining the Modern side at Dulwich and progressing to ‘A’ Levels in English, French and German. A passion for contemporary theatre – then entering an exciting new phase – informed his studies. After leaving Dulwich he went on to read PPE at Pembroke College, Oxford, but failed to complete the course – a setback which owed more than a little to his burgeoning involvement as an art critic with Isis magazine. Undeterred, he embarked on a doctorate at King’s College, London, and in 1979 was awarded a PhD for his thesis Conservatism and constitutionalism: the Baldwin government, 1924-1929 . Research undertaken in Paris provided a further stimulus to his enthusiasm for modern art, and he returned to England determined upon a career in this sphere. Having established his own company, he opened a gallery in Hampstead specialising initially in prints by artists such as Picasso, Miro and – a lifetime favourite – Marc Chagall. A visit here in the 1980s would delight the viewer with a refreshingly eclectic mix of European and British work; but increasingly his attention was drawn to the post-war avant-garde art movement in St Ives, Cornwall, which was to become his ultimate specialism. His winter and summer miscellanies traditionally contained a large number of works by artists with close Cornish connections, but it was his 2001 exhibition St Ives – 80 Years of Modernism , a sumptuous display bringing together work by John Park, Alfred Wallis, Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Patrick Heron, Peter Lanyon, Roger Hilton and many others, which gained him national recognition and established his reputation as an authority on the artists of that era. A keen promoter as well as collector, he took an active role in encouraging local artists to build on the St Ives heritage – in 2003, for example, he staged a successful solo show by the young Penwith-based painter Alice Mumford. Equally at home with representational and abstract art, he had little time for pretension, arid conceptualism or crude sensationalism, preferring works that were fresh, lively, colourful and uplifting – characteristics which reflected his own personality and outlook.
Roger Frank Looker (1963-70) 20.10.1951 – 18.08.2014
Roger Looker came to Dulwich on a (LCC) scholarship from Torridon Road Junior School in Catford at the age of 11. A natural rugby forward, with an imposing physical presence, he had the pace and hands of a three-quarter, a strong and
competitive will to win, and an instinctive rugby brain. But however much Roger imposed himself physically on the field; off it, he was a gentle giant and never a bully. His size was, however, something of a mixed blessing, as he stood out in a crowd. Terry Walsh, then Deputy Head of Lower School, recalled a colleague saying: ‘I saw some boys behaving badly and did not know them all, but Looker was certainly there!’ Roger was one of life’s leaders and when Captain of the Colts in 1968, he was first elected Chairman – a typical role in later life – of the Gallon Club, formed by him and his teammates in the West End on their return from the Oxford Public Schools 7-a-side tournament. Membership was subject to the consumption, and keeping down, of the afore-mentioned quantity of beer in a single evening, which was no mean feat for the average-sized 16 year-old. But, perhaps more importantly, the first and only Chairman of the Gallon Club reconvened it at least once a year thereafter for the rest of his life for a lunch or dinner with his old schoolmates. In addition to his rugby prowess, Roger was an exceptionally powerful swimmer, once swimming the Channel. At Dulwich, apart from winning his swimming colours four years in a row, he captained the water polo team, at which sport, as a member of the Otter Club in London, he first represented his country. Roger also found time to be House Captain of Spenser and a
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