Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, a prominent arts patron and philanthropist in Lebanon, died on Monday after sustaining severe injuries in the August 4 blast in Beirut. She was 98.
The daughter of Greek Orthodox aristocrat Alfred Bey Sursock, she was born Yvonne Sursock in 1922. In 1946, she married Irish nobleman Desmond Cochrane.
Lady Cochrane, as she came to be known, was a strong advocate of arts and culture in Lebanon, heading various projects focused on preserving heritage sites in the country. In 1960, she co-founded the Association for the Protection of the Natural Sites and Ancient Buildings.
She was president of Apsad until 2002. During her tenure, she criticised the Lebanese government’s post-civil war reconstruction efforts, which ended up tearing down more buildings in the process than during the conflict between 1975 and 1990.
Part of Apsad’s aims include raising awareness of the urban and environmental impacts on ancient and natural sites, as well as influencing policy towards the protection of the country’s architectural heritage.
Cochrane was central to the development of Beirut’s Sursock Museum, serving as president of the committee and general manager in the 1960s. After 1966, she was no longer involved in the museum’s activities. The museum was once the private villa of her uncle, Nicolas Ibrahim Sursock, an art collector who bequeathed his villa to Beirut after his death in 1952.
On the day of the explosion, Cochrane was having afternoon tea with friends in Sursock Palace, which faces the museum. She was left with injuries, and then retreated to Sawfar, a village in Lebanon, to try to recover.
Her historic mansion was struck by the explosion. The Sursock Museum was also heavily affected, with damage to the structure’s roof, facade and the shattering of its glass windows. A number of artworks have had to be moved into storage.
“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, who campaigned tirelessly for the preservation of Lebanon’s architectural heritage throughout her life,” the museum said in a statement on Instagram.
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