Gordon Gilkey

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Gordon Gilkey (1912-2000) was an American artist, educator, and promoter of the arts. He began teaching art in 1930, as a student teacher at Albany College. From 1937-1939, he was the official etcher at the New York World's Fair. He joined the art faculty of Stephens College in 1939, where he remained for three years until be began his military service.

While serving in World War II, Gilkey wrote President Franklin Roosevelt, requesting a unit be established to review military tactics to help minimize damage to art and architecture in Europe. The unit was established, and in the final days of the war, Gilkey and this unit tracked down and repatriated thousands of pieces of looted art.

For these efforts, he was knighted by France and given similar honors by Italy, Germany and Sweden. The United States awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal.

Following the war, Gilkey headed the art department at Oregon State University in Corvallis. While at OSU, Gilkey was active on the state and national art scene. He was instrumental in establishing the Oregon Arts Commission, and the formation of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Gilkey served as curator of prints and drawings at the Portland Art Museum from 1978 until his death. The museum's center for graphic arts, which opened in 1993, is named for him and his late wife, Vivian.

Gilkey was also a professor and printmaker-in-residence at the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

In 1997, he was awarded the rank of officer of the National Order of the Légion d'honneur by the French government.