‘Missionary of art’ rescued from obscurity

          

This headline to this entry is taken from an article published in The Herald on Friday 1st of September, 2000. It was to promote a conference being held in Glasgow on Saturday 2nd September 2000, which was the culmination of a reassessment of the life and career of one of the least-known, but most important figures in the history of the fine arts in Glasgow. Charles Heath Wilson also was the subject of a major exhibition at Glasgow School of Art.

“A dedicated advocate of the democratisation of art, Heath Wilson has been described as a “missionary of art”. Arguably, his single greatest contribution to the city was the commissioning of painted glass panels for Glasgow Cathedral. On the 2nd of September, 2000, Historic Scotland (now Historic Environment Scotland) and Glasgow School of Art hosted Glasgow’s Great Glass Experiment: The Munich Glass of Glasgow Cathedral, a one-day conference at the school.”

Following the conference, a publication bearing the same name was produced, and, to the best of my knowledge, this is still available. For further information, please contact the Publications Department at Historic Environment Scotland.

The Missionary of Art publication can be purchased, by contacting glasgowartindex@hotmail.com. It costs £9.99 plus £2.00 p&p. Please ask for overseas charges, if required.