George Allen (sculptor)

George Henry Allen (8 February 1900 – 12 October 1972)[1] was an Australian sculptor and teacher, an official war artist in the latter years of the Second World War.

George Allen
Born(1900-02-08)8 February 1900
Died12 October 1972(1972-10-12) (aged 72)
Education
  • Bendigo Junior Technical School
  • Caulfield Technical School
  • Swineburne Technical College
Known forSculpture

History

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Allen was born in Kangaroo Flat, Bendigo, a son of George Edward Romeo Allen and his wife Emma Maria "Annie" Allen, née Schutt.

He was educated at Bendigo Junior Technical School and in 1917 won a scholarship for training as an industrial art teacher.[2] and studied at Caulfield Technical School,[3] and Swinburne Technical College[4]

In 1933 he succeeded John S. Davie[a] (1862–1955) as head of the Modelling and Sculpture Department at the Working Men's College, Melbourne, which in 1934 became the Melbourne Technical College,[1] which became RMIT, from which he retired in 1965.[4]

He served as an official war artist with the rank of lieutenant from December 1943, working at Port Moresby and the Australian War Memorial, retired February 1945.[1]

Works

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  • War memorial near Shrine of Remembrance (1949)[4]
  • In 1952 he won a design contest worth £3,000, a bequest from Ballarat solicitor Willian Pinkerton. The statue, unveiled in 1952, aroused some controversy.[7]
  • War memorial, Kew Town Hall (1952)[4]
  • Australian War Memorial (1954)[4]
  • Bronze relief portraits mounted on stone wall, installed in namesake Canberra suburbs:

Recognition

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  • In 1954 he was awarded the Queen's Coronation Medal.[9]

Family

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Allen married Ethel Maud Turner. They had a home at 10 Ruabon Road, Toorak, Victoria.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ Davie, a Scotsman, is best known for his statue of Robert Burns in Canberra.[5][6] He was the subject of an Archibald Prize painting by Amalie Colquhoun.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Attestation Form: Allen, George Henry". Australian Military Forces. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Technical Education". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 22, 013. Victoria, Australia. 15 February 1917. p. 5. Retrieved 16 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Technical Schools". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 24, 201. Victoria, Australia. 29 February 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 16 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b c d e Alan McCulloch (1984). Encyclopedia of Australian Art. ISBN 009148300X.
  5. ^ "Memories". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 32, 573. Victoria, Australia. 25 January 1951. p. 6. Retrieved 16 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Burns Statue for Canberra". The Herald (Melbourne). No. 17, 749. Victoria, Australia. 5 April 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 16 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "An 8-ton statue puzzles Ballarat". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 33, 111. Victoria, Australia. 17 October 1952. p. 3. Retrieved 15 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ Works of art in Canberra. National Capital Development Commission (NCDC). 1980. pp. 1–2. ISBN 9780642898920.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ "Coronation Medals from the Queen". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 33, 305. Victoria, Australia. 2 June 1953. p. 13. Retrieved 16 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.