Thomson, Garry 1925-2007

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born September 13, 1925, in Malaysia; died May 23, 2007. Chemist, advisor, and author. Thomson was best known for his work in London's National Gallery, where he advised curators on how to preserve artworks through better environmental control. Born in Asia, he later served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in India during World War II. Thomson then moved to England for his college education, studying chemistry at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and earning an M.A. in 1954. He worked for Imperial Chemical Industries in the early 1950s, and was briefly on the editorial staff for A History of Technology, before joining the National Gallery in 1955. From 1960 until his 1985 retirement, he was scientific advisor to the museum's board of trustees. Thomson had the unique insight that rather than spend time restoring damaged artworks through cleaning, which could in itself harm the pieces, one should strive to minimize the damage in the first place. Factors such as lighting, temperature, and humidity could be controlled to prevent fading of oil paintings, for instance. At the time, this seemed a radical concept, but Thomson's ideas are now widely accepted by the art community worldwide. He wrote about his theories in The Museum Environment (1978), and also edited books on art conservation. Thomson was named a Commander of the British Empire in 1983 and was presented the 1999 Plowden Medal, both in recognition of his contributions to art conservation. After retiring, he served as a trustee for the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside from 1986 to 1991. A follower of the Theravada tradition of Buddhism, Thomson also published The Sceptical Buddhist (1995) and Life of the Buddha. He was active in London's Buddhist Society and often wrote on and gave public talks about Buddhism.

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Times (London, England), June 25, 2007, p. 56.