Godfrey Pilkington (8 November 1918 – 8 July 2007) was a British art dealer, director and co-founder of the Piccadilly Gallery.[1]

Godfrey Pilkington
Born
Richard Godfrey Pilkington

(1918-11-08)8 November 1918
Fairfield nr. Crank, Merseyside,
Died8 July 2007(2007-07-08) (aged 88)
NationalityBritish
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
OccupationArt Dealer
Known forDirecting the Piccadilly Gallery
Work in arts in St Helens
SpouseEve Pilkington (Maiden: Vincent)

Pilkington is remembered for his work at the Piccadilly Gallery and in the community of St. Helen's from where his family operated Pilkington Glass from 1826 to 2006. Together with his wife Eve and Christabel Briggs, Pilkington enjoyed over half a century of trade with the Piccadilly, avoiding the prevailing commercialism and the fashion for abstract art. He championed the works of neglected figurative artists, Art Nouveau and 19th- and 20th-century Symbolism.[2][3]

In December 2006 the Rainford Gallery in St Helens, Merseyside was renamed the Godfrey Pilkington art gallery after the gallerist.[4]

Pilkington and his wife closed the Piccadilly Gallery on Dover Street on 31 May 2007.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Godfrey Pilkington Obituary", The Telegraph, 14 July 2007, archived from the original on 25 September 2015, retrieved 6 January 2014
  2. ^ Foot, Tom (24 August 2007), "Gallery chief a champion of lesser artists", The West End Extra, archived from the original on 4 March 2016, retrieved 6 January 2014
  3. ^ Fenwick, Simon (20 August 2007), "Godfrey Pilkington - Gentlemanly art dealer and director of the Piccadilly Gallery", The Guardian, archived from the original on 4 March 2016, retrieved 6 January 2014
  4. ^ "Art gallery to be renamed.", Liverpool Echo, 18 December 2006, archived from the original on 21 September 2014, retrieved 13 August 2014 – via HighBeam Research
  5. ^ McEwen, John (31 May 2007), "Art's gentle giants bid farewell", The Times