Gordon Lankton, who will turn 90 in April, is a plastics industry icon. But he's also made a name for himself in the world of fine art "icons."
Right now a Clinton, Mass., museum is sharing two Lankton-related collections that will fascinate art lovers and plastics historians alike.
Lankton, who bought into injection molder Nypro Inc. in 1962 and helped build it into a global powerhouse, is known for many things. Two are especially cool: a motorcycle trip he took from Germany to Japan in 1956 and his museum-quality collection of Russian icons.
Lankton founded the Museum of Russian Icons to house his icon collection, but it's been closed due to COVID-19.
But it recently reopened with two exhibits: "The Long Way Home: A Photographic Journey With Gordon Lankton" and "Tradition and Opulence: Easter in Imperial Russia."
The first exhibit, on view through Sept. 27, includes photographs and artifacts from the famous motorcycle trip. The second, which is open through Oct. 25, features nearly 200 objects from collectors around the world, including Easter eggs, icons and vintage postcards.
Lankton is a fascinating guy. For more on his background, check out this 2000 profile and this 2013 story written when Nypro was purchased by Jabil Inc.