6 June. Garry Thomson CBE, recipient of the ICCROM Award (1986) and long-time ICCROM lecturer and collaborator, died peacefully at his home in the UK on 23 May 2007, aged 81.

Garry Thomson was Scientific Adviser to the Trustees and Head of the Scientific Department at the National Gallery, London from 1960 until his retirement in 1985. He was the author of The Museum Environment, first published in 1978, which became a source of fundamental information on conservation of all types of collections throughout the world.

In 1968 Garry organized the first conference on museum climatology for the International Institute for Conservation (IIC) in London. This was one of the many projects he undertook in collaboration in the framework of the IIC, of which he was President from 1983 to 1986.

He undertook various missions for ICCROM, including to Algeria, India and Lebanon. With colleagues, he conceived the ICCROM course on 'Scientific Principles of Conservation', which was launched in Rome in 1974, and in which he also taught. His lectures never failed to enchant his students.

In 1976 he contributed to the new ICCROM course on 'Preventive Conservation' and was a regular lecturer at ICCROM until 1989.

Garry Thomson was generous with his knowledge. He had an exceptional way of explaining complicated scientific concepts in simple terms. His loss deprives the profession of one of its most eminent members and ICCROM of a great friend and supporter.

updated on: 25 October, 2007