The art world is mourning the death of one of Glasgow's and Scotland's most influential gallery owners, Cyril Gerber.

Tributes were paid last night to Mr Gerber, who was born in 1917 and died on Tuesday at home.

He formed the New Charing Cross Gallery, the Compass Gallery and later established Cyril Gerber Fine Art, for more than 40 years displaying the work of some of the finest artists in Scotland.

Margaret Knox, the wife of Jack Knox, the academic and painter whose work Mr Gerber exhibited many times, said: "He contributed so much to the Glasgow art scene.

"He loved painting, he loved talking about art and he loved the company of artists, and not only did he exhibit them, he bought their work.

"He was generous, such an agreeable, good-natured companion with a marvellous sense of humour, and there are not many Scottish artists who have not enjoyed his hospitality at some time."

Anda Paterson, an artist who had solo shows with Mr Gerber, said: "He was always such good company to be in, although I think when he liked your work you could never tell.

"He was an important man on the scene for such a long time. He will be missed."

Fellow gallery owner and arts expert Roger Billcliffe said: "The galleries that he and Bet Low and John Taylor formed in the 1960s provided a lifeline for an entire generation of Scottish artists, and some of Scotland's most important painters. He was a very important figure indeed."

Joan Hughson, who runs the Hughson Gallery in the city, said: "I think he was a key figure. The first gallery he set up really was the only place to show and sell contemporary art in Glasgow.

"I have the greatest respect for what he did. He was a very influential figure for more than two or three decades."

Karin Currie, president of the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, said: "We have lost one of the most distinguished stalwarts of the Glasgow gallery scene and we mourn his passing.

"His reputation went much further than Glasgow. He brought so many Scottish artists to a national and international audience."

His family, including his daughter Jill who co-ran his gallery, held a private family funeral.

Mr Gerber was the son of a Polish mother and a Latvian father who owned a successful warehouse business in Glasgow, the city where he was born.

He saw four years of war service in Ceylon and India, attaining the rank of captain in the Royal Artillery and, when Gerber Brothers closed, he started up his own carpet-selling business. But he had always been an avid collector of paintings and soon wanted to be involved in the fine art business.

In 1963 he formed the New Charing Cross Gallery with Bet Low and John Taylor, and in 1969 the Compass Gallery was founded as a platform for young and new artists.

In 1990, the Tramway played host to The Compass Contribution, an exhibition featuring more than 120 artists to whom Mr Gerber had given a solo show in the years since the gallery opened its basement doors.

He once said: "I wanted Glasgow to be a city where artists not only trained, but could live and work as well."

It is a desire that has more than come true in the past two decades.