It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of John Sunderland, alumnus and former Witt Librarian who passed away on on 16th January 2018. John was a former student of The Courtauld, taking the PG diploma between 1963 and 1965 and studying for a PhD under Michael Kitson from 1971 to 1974.
As Witt Librarian John oversaw the collection during its move from Portman Square to Somerset House, the publication in two editions of the Checklist of Painters represented in the Witt Library (1978 and 1994), its publication on microfiche in 1981 and 1992, and the development, with colleagues Cathie Gordon and Colum Hourihane, of the pioneering Witt Library Computer Index (1981 – 1996) to provide database access to works from the British and American Schools.
John’s publications include Chardin, London 1963, John Constable, Phaidon, London, 1971, Painting in Britain, Phaidon, London 1976 and John Hamilton Mortimer: His Life and Works, published by the Walpole Society in 1988.
A thanksgiving service for John will be held at St Cuthbert’s Church, NW2 3TN, at noon, on Saturday 17th February.