Alfred (Antony Francis) Gell (June 12, 1945-January 28, 1997): British social anthropologist whose most influential work concerned art, language, symbolism and ritual. Gell is considered one of the most gifted anthropologists of his generation. He as a student studied with Edmund Leach (MPhil, Cambridge University) and Raymond Firth (PhD, London School of Economics). He did his fieldwork in Melanesia and tribal India. He was Reader in Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and was a fellow of the British Academy. The School posthumously awarded him a Professorship, a post that he had declined during his life time.