George S. Sexton, III is an American designer, specializing in the areas of lighting design, museum design and museum planning services.
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Life
Sexton studied at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1966, where he received his Bachelor of Architecture Degree in 1971. Upon graduation, Sexton began his work in architectural lighting design through his employment at Claude Engle, Lighting Consultant in Washington, DC. He continued his work in the field of lighting design by taking a position at the National Gallery of Art both designing and lighting exhibits. This early professional experience working in DC museums coupled with his modernist training as an architect have been the foundations of his approach to lighting and museum design. Further shaping experiences include working as Acting Keeper of the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich, England, as well as the Head of the Design and Installation Department for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco at both the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
In 1980, Sexton opened his own lighting and museum design firm, George Sexton Associates, based in Washington, DC, with satellite offices in Norwich, England and New York City.
Connection to Claude Engle
Trained in architecture at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, George Sexton found himself - after graduation, amid a recession in the early 1970s — seeking employment beyond architecture firms and found a position with lighting designer Claude Engle. Assigned to the east wing extension for the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which Engle was working on at the time, was what set Sexton on a course of museum work that has been the cornerstone of his professional lighting career.
Lighting philosophy
As referenced in an interview of George Sexton, "Design-wise, it's about listening to the client. In terms of lighting, we are of the school that you shouldn't notice our work; it should be transparent. ... Daylight is very important to the visitor's experience. Architects and lighting designers have a great comfort level in working with daylight. It is something that can be managed in a way that is consistent with museums, but when making that choice, there is a cost of controlling daylight that needs to be considered. ... Regarding technology impacting museum lighting, there's a whole area of lighting controls, particularly as they relate to conservation and energy issues. Interactive media as well. We need to be clever as designers and consider these other sources (i.e., the whole range of media generated light) as part of the lighting solution."
Projects of note
Sexton has provided design services for an array of international and domestic clients, including the following:
Museums and galleries
Museum of Modern Art, New York City
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Morse Museum of American Art, Winter Park Florida
Star-Spangled Banner Exhibit, National Museum of American History Washington DC
Victoria & Albert Museum, London UK
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem Massachusetts
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England
Denver Art Museum
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, Australia
Metropolitan Museum of American Art Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art in New York City
The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg Florida
Geoffrey Diner Gallery, Masterpiece London (Awarded Stand of the Year 2013)]
Dulwich Picture Gallery, London UK
National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
Awards
French Pavilion, International Expo 2010, Shanghai China
IIDA Section Guth Illumination Design Award, 2011
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston Massachusetts
IIDA Section Guth Illumination Design Award, 2011
22 Bateman's Row, London UK
RIBA London Building of the Year, 2010
1100 First Street NE, Washington DC
A|L Light & Architecture Commendable Achievement in Interior Lighting, 2010
E Edison Award of Excellence, 2009
Goucher College Athenaeum, Towson Maryland
GE Edison Award of Merit, 2009
Lumen United Reformed Church, London UK
IIDA Section Guth Illumination Design Award, 2009
A|L Light & Architecture Commendable Achievement in Architectural Lighting, 2009
Star-Spangled Banner Exhibit, National Museum of American History, Washington DC
IIDA Section Guth Illumination Design Award, 2009
A|L Light & Architecture Special Citation for Achievement in Exhibition Lighting, 2009
Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC