History
Empire Picture Frameworks
- c1860 David Gordon establishes ‘The Empire Picture Frameworks’.
- c1884 David’s brother Ephraim escapes one of the last Jewish pogroms & joins the business. Initially framing & selling religious reproductions in the North-West, the business later sold artist’s materials & paintings.
- 1953 Ephraim’s son Nat establishes ‘The Art Shop’, developing a gallery alongside china & glass, bringing names such as Waterford & Wedgewood to the city.
- 1959 Nat relocates & adds a boutique selling famous couturiers of the day such as Jean Muir, Christian Dior, Laura Ashley, Poly Peck & Pringle, as well as classic designs in wood, glass, ceramics & furniture from the Scandanavian countries.
- 1969 ‘The Troubles’ bring that business to an end.
- 1970 Nat establishes ‘The Keys Gallery’.
- 1983 Nat’s son Richard establishes ‘The Gordon Picture Frameworks’.
- 1993 Richard relocates as ‘Gordon Galleries’.
- 1996 Regeneration of the city centre forces closure.
Re-established, by Richard, in November 2005, ‘gordon gallery’ is a contemporary exhibition space once again situated in the heart of the city of Derry, within the historic city walls, located in a wide airy street of Georgian and Victorian buildings and within walking distance of several car parks and the bus station. 2000 square feet of exhibition space with over 182 feet of linear hanging provides an ideal area in which to show contemporary, mostly Irish, art of the highest quality. Many of the names shown are at the top of their profession in both the North and South of Ireland. Some have a history of showing with the gallery over a long period of time with one or two having an association of some fifty years or more. An ideal space for travelling shows, together with new up and coming artists in the fields of painting, drawing, sculpture and print making, the gallery showcases the work to both private and corporate collectors.
Ephraim Gordon
Nat Gordon
Richard Gordon