George Gurney, 82

CENTER HARBOR — George Gurney of Center Harbor, died in Concord on October 28, 2022, at age 82, surrounded by his family — his wife Susan, son Peter, and daughter Katri.

Son of Richard C. Gurney and Margaret Alexander Gurney, George was born and grew up in Connecticut. He had one brother, Peter Gurney, five years his senior, now deceased. George’s dad taught at The Hotchkiss School, making George the beneficiary of a wealth of educational, recreational, and cultural resources throughout his childhood, which he deeply treasured. After attending Hotchkiss as a student, George spent a gap year in England at the Bishop’s Stortford College with the English Speaking Union Exchange Fellowship. During his time abroad, George’s love for art developed and he discovered his life’s calling.

Upon his return from England, George began his pursuit of expanding his knowledge of art at Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, and concluding at the University of Delaware where he earned his Ph.D. He taught at the University of Hartford and Sweet Briar College before entering the museum profession as a fellow at the National Gallery of Art. George worked at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) from 1974-2011, serving as Curator of Sculpture for over 25 years. He was named Curator Emeritus at his retirement. He drew professional satisfaction from exhibitions he curated, beginning with Sculpture and the Federal Triangle in 1979, for which he wrote the definitive book on the subject, and ending with Remembering the Running Fence in 2010, working closely with the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Upon retirement, George and Susan moved up to Squam Lake in New Hampshire — a place he had retreated to annually and loved his entire life. His two children also moved to the area, drawn there by the love George instilled in them of the Squam Lakes region. George committed himself to volunteering for environmental causes — taking water quality measurements, removing invasive plants, conducting trail maintenance, monitoring conservation easements, and serving on the town’s Conservation Commission. Everything he did was with the deliberate intention of helping the people and natural world around him. In the evenings he’d sit down with a glass of bourbon and play a game of cribbage with Susan while they admired the sunset.

A memorial gathering will be held at a later date. Donations in his memory may be made to The George Gurney Fellowship Endowment Fund at SAAM or to the Squam Lakes Association Squam Watershed Campaign.