Gordon Scott

Houses in Crescent Grove, Clapham, Oil on Canvas Painting by Gordon Scott, 1967

1967

Gordon Scott was trained at the RCA from 1934–38 under Gilbert Spencer, Alan Sorrell and Charles Mahoney. A reserved and highly principled man, during World War II, he was a conscientious objector, stationed at Bulford Camp on Salisbury Plain. His defined role is unknown, but during his time there, he produced several sketches and paintings of soldiers and other personnel who passed through the camp. In 1946, he joined the staff of Camberwell School of Art, where he remained as a part-time teacher until 1980. Scott is remembered and revered by generations of Camberwell students, particularly for his Saturday morning drawing classes amongst the architecturally stunning buildings of London, the Temple Church, the St Pancras hotel and a Nash terrace being often used as subjects. Despite a lifelong, dedicated application to painting, he was reticent about exhibiting. Scott's works have been shown at the Royal Academy, the London Group, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Cooling and Opix Galleries and the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery, amongst others, but his work was not seen in any great quantity until 2006. Then, having turned 90, Scott had a solo exhibition at the Highgate Gallery.