Born the brother of musician Harry Adaskin, Gordon was adopted by Harry and his wife Frances at the age of five, after the death of his father. Although Gordons birth mother, Rifke, was still alive, she allowed the Adaskins to adopt Gordon, in accordance with the elder Adaskins dying wish. Gordon moved to Vancouver in 1946, and attended University Hill Junior School. He would forego his final year at University Hill in order to attend the Vancouver Art School. Subsequently, Gordon toured Europe, paying particular attention to the museums and galleries of Italy. Upon his return to Canada, Gordon went to the Alberta College of Art, and was soon hired to teach at the University of Manitoba, in the Faculty of Architecture, where he remained for over twenty-five years. Gordon Adaskins artwork was regularly exhibited at the university, as well as in touring shows, two of which visited Vancouver, the home of his parents. Gordon Adaskin, besides being a visual artist, was also an interviewer and commentator on art and artists. He interviewed many of the leading Canadian artists of the mid-twentieth century, including B.C. Binning and Jack Shadbolt. In the early 1990s, Gordon moved to Gibsons, British Columbia and married Jan Busch, his second wife in April 1997. Gordon Adaskin died in December 2001.
From the description of Gordon Adaskin fonds. [1961] (University of British Columbia Library). WorldCat record id: 606455613
