James Francis Gill | The Return of James Francis Gill

ANGLO HISTORY “My ancestors on my mother’s side – the family name is Pou – were Catalonians. In fact, one of them nearly became the Pope! They were sent by the King of Spain to Mallorca, where after two or three generations they were persecuted because of their religious beliefs. “After emigrating to France, they went on to Scotland between the 16th and 17th centuries. They then emigrated (in the 18th century) to the US, later settling in Texas. One of them married a full-blood Cherokee (Native American): my great grandmother.”

VISITING ENGLAND IN 1965 “My wife at the time – the English actress Antoinette Bower – had relatives in England, living close to London. During the two weeks we stayed there, we visited the Tate regularly, along with the V&A – which I liked a lot. I particularly enjoyed and was influenced by the paintings of William Turner and a room with antique embroidery.”

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