Background
Tharp was born in Copenhagen on 27 March 1954, the son of Harry Tharp and Anne Marie Broholm. His father was the keeper of Antiquities at the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen and an expert on the Bronze Age.
Tharp was born in Copenhagen on 27 March 1954, the son of Harry Tharp and Anne Marie Broholm. His father was the keeper of Antiquities at the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen and an expert on the Bronze Age.
After moving to England aged 6 Lars was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester, England, before studying for an undergraduate degree in Archaeology and Anthropology at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University.
In 1977, a year after graduating, Tharp began working as an auctioneer at Sotheby"s, where he specialised in European and Chinese ceramics. Tharp continued to work with Sotheby"s for sixteen years, becoming a director in 1983. He left to form his own company "Lars Tharp Limited" in 1993.
In 2008 he was appointed the Director of the Foundling Museum in London, and Visiting Professor at De Montfort University, Leicester.
Today (2015) he represents the Foundling Museum as its Ambassador, and as "Hogarth Curator". Tharp is also well known for his appearances as a ceramics expert on the British antiques programme Antiques Roadshow.
Tharp explained the appeal of the programme as follows: "The joy of The Antiques Roadshow is its variety -as well as the possibility that someone may bring something along used as a dog"s bowl or an umbrella stand which turns out to be worth a fortune." Radio Hidden Treasures (1998-2002) - chairman/ co-writer Out of the Fire (2000) - presenter Foreign What lieutenant"s Worth (2002-2006) - presenter Archive Hour (Radio 4): Men in Bow Ties (2007) - presenter On the China Trail (2007) - presenter Earth to Earth: Potted Immortality (2009) - presenter Twenty Minutes: There"s Something About the Cello (2011) - presenter "A journey around Hans Christian Andersen" (2005 - co-presenter with Michael Rosen).