Douglas Gordon will receive the French title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres at the French embassy in Berlin, where he lives. The Scottish-born artist was awarded the title in 2012 and will accept the medal of honour from the French Ambassador to Germany at a private ceremony on 15 February.
Commandeur is the highest decoration granted to cultural figures by the French government. Only a handful of artists have received the award, which was established in 1957, including William Kentridge, Nan Goldin and Anish Kapoor. The only other Scotsman to receive the honour is the actor Sean Connery.
Gordon, who often works with film, is best known for installations like 24 Hour Psycho (1993), an adaptation of Alfred Hitchcok’s film Psycho slowed down to play over 24 hours. He received his BA at the Glasgow School of Art (1984-88), and then undertook the post-graduate programme at the Slade School of Art in London (1988-90).
