Alexander Esmé Gordon (12 September 1910 – 31 May 1993) was a Scottish
Modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
architect, writer, and painter who served as Secretary of the
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art.
The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...
between 1973 and 1978.
Born in Edinburgh and educated at
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...
and
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...
, Gordon worked as an assistant at
Burnet,
Tait, and
Lorne before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh with James Robertson. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Gordon served in the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
. In 1946, he formed a partnership with
William Gordon Dey
William Gordon Dey FRIBA (1911-1997) was a Scottish architect. He was a partner in the influential firm of Gordon & Dey which specialised in college buildings and had a long-running working relationship with Moray House School of Education.
Life ...
. Gordon worked mostly on ecclesiastical, educational, and commercial buildings: notable designs include the South of Scotland Electricity Board's
George Street headquarters and
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
's Department of Brewing and Biochemistry as well as additions to
St Giles' Cathedral
St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...
and
Moray House
The Moray House School of Education and Sport ('Moray House') is a school within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood Campus, located between the C ...
. In the latter part of his life, Gordon devoted his energies to the Royal Scottish Academy, serving as its Secretary between 1973 and 1978. Gordon was also a
watercolourist
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
, art collector, and author of books on St Giles' Cathedral, church design, and the Royal Scottish Academy.
Biography
Early life
Gordon's parents were Alexander Shand Gordon WS (d.1938) (son of Alexander Gordon
Solicitor of the Supreme Court
The Society of Solicitors in the Supreme Courts of Scotland is a voluntary professional association of solicitors in Scotland, representing lawyers who practise in and around the College of Justice. The College of Justice comprises Scotland's t ...
), and Elizabeth Catherine Logan (d.1947). He was born on 12 September 1910 in
Ramsay Garden
Ramsay Garden is a block of sixteen private apartment buildings in the Castlehill area of Edinburgh, Scotland. They stand out for their red ashlar and white harled exteriors, and for their prominent position, most visible from Princes Street.
...
in the
Old Town of Edinburgh
The Old Town ( sco, Auld Toun) is the name popularly given to the oldest part of Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh. The area has preserved much of its medieval street plan and many Scottish Reformation, Reformation-era buildings. Together w ...
and brought up at 36 Heriot Row in the
New Town
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
.
Gordon received secondary education at
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...
. Between 1928 and 1934, he studied at
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...
under
John Begg
John Begg, commonly known as Jack Begg, (20 September 1866 – 23 February 1937) was a Scottish architect, who practised in London, South Africa and India, before returning to Scotland to teach at Edinburgh College of Art from 1922 to 1933.
Li ...
,
John Summerson
Sir John Newenham Summerson (25 November 1904 – 10 November 1992) was one of the leading British architectural historians of the 20th century.
Early life
John Summerson was born at Barnstead, Coniscliffe Road, Darlington. His grandfather wo ...
, and
Adam Bruce Thomson
Adam Bruce Thomson OBE, RSA, PRSW (22 February 1885 – 4 December 1976) or ‘Adam B’ as he was often called at Edinburgh College of Art, was a painter perhaps best known for his oil and water colour landscape paintings, particularly ...
. While at Edinburgh College of Art, he won various minor scholarships that helped him to make sketching tours of England and two month-long trips to Italy in 1931 and 1933. In 1934, Gordon won the
Owen Jones
Owen Jones (born 8 August 1984) is a British newspaper columnist, political commentator, journalist, author, and left-wing activist. He writes a column for ''The Guardian'' and contributes to the ''New Statesman'' and ''Tribune.'' He has two w ...
Scholarship, which he used to travel to Italy in 1935.
He spent a year with
Burnet,
Tait, and
Lorne in London, returning in 1934 as a qualified assistant. He worked mostly under Tait and his senior assistant Andrew D. Bryce. He was proposed as an associate of the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
by John Begg,
Alexander Lorne Campbell
Alexander Lorne Campbell (1871–1944) was a Scottish architect, who practised across Scotland. He was founder of the successful firm of Scott & Campbell.
Early life
He was born in Edinburgh the son of Archibald Campbell, deputy city clerk of ...
and
Frank Mears
Sir Frank Charles Mears LLD (11 July 1880 – 25 January 1953) was an architect and Scotland's leading planning consultant from the 1930s to the early 1950s.
Life and work
Born in Tynemouth he moved to Edinburgh in 1897 when his father, Dr ...
and admitted on 2 December 1935.
[
]
Independent practice
In 1937 Gordon began his own practice at 34 Castle Street, Edinburgh, and was joined in partnership by James Robertson. At this time, Gordon also taught architecture at Edinburgh College of Art and worked in the offices of James Wallace. Robertson and Gordon worked in partnership until about 1940, when Gordon joined the Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
.[ He later saw active service as well as working on the construction of canteens and post-war reconstruction in ]Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
and the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.[
Gordon returned from war service in 1945 and, the following year, took his former assistant ]William Gordon Dey
William Gordon Dey FRIBA (1911-1997) was a Scottish architect. He was a partner in the influential firm of Gordon & Dey which specialised in college buildings and had a long-running working relationship with Moray House School of Education.
Life ...
into partnership, creating the partnership Gordon and Dey. Gordon was admitted as an associate of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) is the professional body for architects in Scotland.
History
Previously the (lapsed) Architectural Institute of Scotland, it was re-founded in 1916 as the Incorporation of Architects in ...
in 1948 and was elected fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1956, having been proposed by John Ross McKay, Leslie Grahame MacDougall, and Thomas Waller Marwick.[
By 1956, Gordon had moved his office to his former home at 36 Heriot Row; the practice moved to Liberton in 1975 and ]Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
in 1991. Dey retired from the practice in 1982.
Later life
Gordon was a member of the Scottish Committee of the Arts Council between 1959 and 1965 and president of the Edinburgh Architectural Association between 1955 and 1957; he designed the Association's Centenary Bronze Medal, awarded annually from 1957.[ He was elected an associate of the ]Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art.
The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...
in 1956, becoming an Academician in 1967 and the academy's Secretary between 1973 and 1978. He retired as a senior partner of Gordon and Dey to devote himself the work of the academy.[ Jean Jones called Gordon "one of the Royal Scottish Academy's most committed and effective members":][ he was a strong defender of the academy's independence against the threat of absorption by the neighbouring ]Scottish National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by W ...
. Gordon also researched the history of the academy, uncovering artefacts such as plans by Thomas Hamilton and a collection of calotype
Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low co ...
s by David Octavius Hill
David Octavius Hill (20 May 1802 – 17 May 1870) was a Scottish painter, photographer and arts activist. He formed Hill & Adamson studio with the engineer and photographer Robert Adamson between 1843 and 1847 to pioneer many aspects of pho ...
.[
From 1988 until his death, Gordon lived in Barnton.][ Gordon died in Edinburgh's City Hospital, Colinton Mains, on 31 May 1993 at the age of 82. He is buried with his parents in ]Grange Cemetery
The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...
in south Edinburgh. The grave lies on the north wall of the later south-west extension.
A memorial exhibition was held at the RSA in 1994.[ A collection of Gordon's designs is held by the ]Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) is the professional body for architects in Scotland.
History
Previously the (lapsed) Architectural Institute of Scotland, it was re-founded in 1916 as the Incorporation of Architects in ...
.
Work
Architecture
Most of Gordon's original designs are classified as Modernist
Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...
;[ however, some of his buildings have also been described as Classical,][ "modern-ish",] "modern-traditional", and "Neo-Fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
".[
While training with Burnet, Tait, and Lorne, Gordon worked on projects including ]St Andrew's House
St. Andrew's House (SAH), on the southern flank of Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, is the headquarters building of the Scottish Government. The building stands on the site of the former Calton Gaol. Today, the turreted Governor's House is a ...
and as part of the team that designed the 1938 Empire Exhibition.[ He also submitted unsuccessful competition entries for a house for ]George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
Born duri ...
's silver jubilee and for buildings at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) is part of the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland. It is ranked as one of the top schools of art and design in the United Kingdom.
History
Attempts were made to establish an art schoo ...
, Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
.[
In 1939, after establishing his own practice, Gordon designed Innerleven East Parish Church, ]Methil
Methil (Scottish Gaelic: Meadhchill) is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was first recorded as "Methkil" in 1207, and belonged to the Bishop of St Andrews. Two Bronze Age cemeteries have been discovered which date the settlement as ov ...
. Following the Second World War, Gordon continued to work largely in ecclesiastical commissions. Among his original designs for churches are St David's Parish Church, Broomhouse Broomhouse may refer to:
*Broomhouse, Edinburgh, a housing estate in the western part of Scotland's capital city
*Broomhouse, Glasgow, a residential suburb in the south-eastern part of Scotland's largest city
*Broomhouse (alternatively Broom House) ...
(1960) and North Parish Church, Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
(1970). Gordon was architect to St Giles' Cathedral
St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...
, Edinburgh; Gordon's work in the cathedral includes the design of the organ case (1940), alterations in the Albany Aisle to create a war memorial chapel (1951), and a memorial plaque to George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
in the Thistle Chapel
The Thistle Chapel, located in St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland, is the chapel of the Order of the Thistle.
At the foundation of the Order of the Thistle in 1687, James VII ordered Holyrood Abbey be fitted out as a chapel for the Knight ...
.[ Gordon's other ecclesiastical work includes the cloister of Warriston Crematorium, Edinburgh (1967) – which the authors of the Buildings of Scotland guide to Edinburgh describe as "modern-ish"][ – and alterations for Free Church College, Edinburgh (1950); St Andrews' Parish Church, Edinburgh (1953); and Allan Park Parish Church, Stirling (1963).][ In his restoration work, Gordon frequently collaborated with the sculptor ]Benno Schotz
Benno Schotz (28 August 1891 Arensburg, Livonia, Russian Empire – 11 October 1984 Glasgow, Scotland) was an Estonian-born Scottish sculptor, and one of twentieth century Scotland's leading artists.
Biography
Early life
Schotz was the y ...
.
Between 1947 and 1980, Gordon made a number of additions to Moray House
The Moray House School of Education and Sport ('Moray House') is a school within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. It is based in historic buildings on the Holyrood Campus, located between the C ...
, Edinburgh. The most prominent of these are Dalhousie Land (1960), built in a style the authors of the ''Buildings of Scotland'' guide to Edinburgh describe as "modern-traditional", and the now-demolished gymnasium (1968). The gymnasium's attenuated portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
is cited by Miles Gledinning, Ranald MacInnes, and Aonghus MacKechnie as a late example of the "severe, usually astylar Astylar (from Gr. ''ἀ-'', privative, and ''στῦλος'', a column) is an architectural term given to a class of design in which neither columns nor pilasters are used for decorative purposes; thus the Riccardi and Strozzi palaces in Florence a ...
classicism
Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...
" popular in eastern Scotland's post-war urban architecture; the authors of the ''Buildings of Scotland'' guide to Edinburgh describe the design as "Neo-Fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
". Among Gordon's other educational buildings are Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...
's Department of Brewing and Biochemistry, Edinburgh (1960s) and Oxgangs
Oxgangs is a suburb in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Surrounding districts include Caiystane, Dreghorn, Redford, Fairmilehead, Colinton and Swanston and Colinton Mains. The post code area for Oxgangs is EH13.
Etymology
The name d ...
Primary School (1953).[
Among Gordon's commercial buildings are the headquarters of the Scottish Life Assurance Co., Edinburgh (1960) and the South of Scotland Electricity Board, Edinburgh (1960).][ Glendinning, MacInnes, and MacKechnie reference these as the leading example's of the stone-faced classical style that Gordon and Dey developed in the 1960s.][ Gordon also executed alterations to ]British Linen Bank
The British Linen Bank was a commercial bank based in the United Kingdom. It was acquired by the Bank of Scotland in 1969 and served as the establishment's merchant bank arm from 1977 until 1999.
History Foundation
The Edinburgh-based British ...
buildings in Edinburgh, Hawick
Hawick ( ; sco, Haaick; gd, Hamhaig) is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east of Selkirk. It is one of ...
, Johnstone
Johnstone ( sco, Johnstoun,
gd, Baile Iain) is a town ...
, and Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
(1949) and designed the Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc (Scottish Gaelic: ''Banca na h-Alba'') is a commercial and clearing bank based in Scotland and is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, following the Bank of Scotland's implosion in 2008. The bank was established by th ...
's Musselburgh
Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of .
History
The name Musselburgh is Ol ...
branch (1969).[
Gordon's residential buildings include a number of homes for the elderly, such as Eventide Homes at ]Loanhead
Loanhead is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, in a commuter belt to the south of Edinburgh, and close to Roslin, Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith. The town was built on coal and oil shale mining, and the paper industries.
History
Loanhead was a tiny villag ...
, Gargunnock
Gargunnock is a small village in the Stirling council area, west of Stirling, in Scotland. The census population was 912. It is situated on the south edge of the Carse of Stirling, at the foot of the Gargunnock Hills, part of the Campsie Fells ...
, Alloa
Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where ...
, and Galashiels
Galashiels (; sco, Gallae, gd, An Geal Àth) is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive ...
(after 1947) and Newbattle House, Edinburgh (1975). Gordon designed only two completed houses, one of which was his own house at 10A Greenhill Park, Edinburgh.[ This was designated a ]Category B listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
in 2004 with a statement of special interest that calls the house: "A major example of a relatively unaltered, late Modernist private dwelling, and a major example of its building type".
Writing
Gordon's work in church building was reflected in his books ''A Short History of St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh'' (1954) and ''A Handbook on the Principles of Church Building: Furnishing, Equipment and Decoration'' (1963).[ Gordon's extensive research on the history the ]Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art.
The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...
, resulted in ''The Royal Scottish Academy of Painting Sculpture and Architecture 1826-1976'' (1976) and ''The Making of the Royal Scottish Academy'' (1988).[
]
Painting
Gordon usually painting landscapes in watercolours. 52 of his watercolours were exhibited in a solo show at the Scottish Gallery in 1988; he also frequently exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art.
The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...
and Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour
The Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours (RSW) is a Scottish organisation of painters.
The first preliminary meeting of the society took place in Glasgow on 21 December 1877 as a reaction to a lack of interest in watercolour art by ...
.[
]
Personal life
Gordon was married to Betsy McCurry from 1937 to her death in 1990. Originally from Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, McCurry was a pianist and graduate of the Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
. The couple had a daughter, Celia, and two sons, Christopher and Giles, the latter of whom became a prominent literary agent.[ Gordon's friends included the painters ]Denis Peploe
Denis Frederic Neal Peploe (25 March 1914 – 22 May 1993) was a Scottish artist and sculptor known for his landscapes.
Biography
Peploe was born in Edinburgh as the younger son of Margaret and Samuel John Peploe. His father was an artist and D ...
and Robin Philipson
Sir Robert (Robin) James Philipson RSW (17 December 1916 – 26 May 1992) was an English painter who was influential within the Scottish art scene for over three decades.
Life
Philipson was born in 1916 in Broughton-in-Furness, Lancashire ...
and the architectural historians Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...
and John Summerson
Sir John Newenham Summerson (25 November 1904 – 10 November 1992) was one of the leading British architectural historians of the 20th century.
Early life
John Summerson was born at Barnstead, Coniscliffe Road, Darlington. His grandfather wo ...
.[
Gordon was a scholar and collector of ]Asian art
The history of Asian art includes a vast range of arts from various cultures, regions, and religions across the continent of Asia. The major regions of Asia include Central, East, South, Southeast, and West Asia.
Central Asian art primarily c ...
and travelled frequently with his wife to India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, the Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
, and Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.[ Gordon bequeathed ''The Geisha Girl'' by George Henry from his collection to the ]Scottish National Gallery
The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by W ...
.
Robert Scott Morton and Anthony Wheeler described Gordon as "enthusiastic, generous and sociable, and an entertaining raconteur".[ Jean Jones wrote of Gordon: "Though a lively raconteur with old-fashioned courtesies, his outlook on life - political and otherwise - was more radical than his manner suggested, not least in the way he treated women as equals. He rarely spoke of his own achievements."][
]
See also
* William Gordon Dey
William Gordon Dey FRIBA (1911-1997) was a Scottish architect. He was a partner in the influential firm of Gordon & Dey which specialised in college buildings and had a long-running working relationship with Moray House School of Education.
Life ...
* Giles Gordon
Giles Alexander Esmé Gordon (23 May 1940 – 14 November 2003) was a Scottish literary agent and writer, based for most of his career in London.
Early life and education
The son of Esmé Gordon (1910–1993), an architect and Honorary Secre ...
References
External links
''Dictionary of Scottish Architects'' biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Alexander Esmé
1910 births
1993 deaths
Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art
Scottish ecclesiastical architects
Modernist architects from Scotland
Architects from Edinburgh
20th-century Scottish architects
People educated at Edinburgh Academy
Associates of the Royal Institute of British Architects
St Giles' Cathedral
Royal Scottish Academicians
Fellows of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects