Lord Gowrie was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford. After an academic career at Harvard and University College London, he held office in Edward Heath’s and Margaret Thatcher’s administrations. He was Minister for the Arts 1983-85. He left the Cabinet in 1985 to become Chairman of Sotheby’s in Europe 1985-1994. He was Chairman of the Arts Council of England 1994-98. He lives in London and Wales and is married to Adelheid von der Schulenburg.