Longtime Capitol Hill resident and prominent art dealer Gordon William Woodside died July 16 at Virginia Mason Medical Center after a stroke. He was 80.
Born Jan. 22, 1927, Mr. Woodside was the son of Canadian émigrés James Nelson Woodside and Carol Gavinjack Woodside. His home was in north Capitol Hill for many years. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1945.
Before opening Gordon Woodside Gallery in 1961 with Donald Teichman, his partner of 57 years, Mr. Woodside was a first lieutenant in the United States Army, having served in the Korean War. The gallery had a branch in San Francisco (1967-74) and in 1980 became Gordon Woodside/John Braseth Gallery. Mr. Woodside's first gallery was at 803 E. Union. Later locations included 1101 Howell and 1533 Ninth Ave. The gallery is now at 2101 Ninth Ave.
As proprietor of Seattle's longest-enduring art gallery, Woodside discovered numerous Northwest artists who attained great success, including William Ivey, Kathleen Gemberling Adkison, Carl Morris, Hilda Morris, William Cumming, Maria Frank Abrams, Frank Okada, Paul Horiuchi, Doris Chase, John-Franklin Koenig, Doris Chase, Ambrose Patterson and Viola Patterson. Thanks to his early friendships, the gallery represents the estates of Northwest masters Tobey, Graves, Callahan and Anderson.
In addition, Mr. Woodside gave first Seattle showings of prominent New York and European artists including Henry Moore, Andy Warhol, Luis Feito, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Larry Rivers and Robert Colescott.
With Mr. Woodside's sharp and witty personality, celebrities visiting Seattle flocked to his gallery to buy art and partake of his engaging and caustic repartee. They include David Rockefeller, Sen. Henry Jackson, President Vigbisdottir of Iceland, novelist Philip Roth, actress Claire Bloom and many others. Actor Vincent Price once begged to pull weeds in Mr. Woodside's garden. Tenor Luciano Pavarotti tended bar at a party of Woodside's in 1964. In later years, prominent musicians like Robert Plant, Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell and his then-wife, promoter Susan Silver, patronized the gallery.
A collector of English antiques, folk art of Haiti, Mexico, Tahiti and Africa, as well as Northwest Coast Native American and First Nations of Canada art, Mr. Woodside and his partner traveled extensively, with trips to New York five times a year as well as to Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Indonesia and the Middle East. He was a familiar guest at the Hotel Gritti Palace in Venice and at Essex House in New York (where he backed the successful Broadway play, "Art").
Deeply involved as a patron of performing arts groups, Mr. Woodside was a longtime supporter of Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the following organizations: Virginia Mason Medical Center Foundation, 1100 Ninth Ave., Seattle, WA 98101; Minority Affairs Scholarship Fund, University of Washington, Mail-stop 355845, Seattle, WA 98195; Lifelong AIDS Alliance, 1002 E. Seneca St., Seattle, WA 98122; and Plan USA: Helping Children Through Sponsorship, planusa.org.
There will be a private memorial service.[[In-content Ad]]
