George Henry Allen (8 February 1900 – 12 October 1972)
[ was an Australian sculptor and teacher, an official war artist in the latter years of the Second World War.
]
History
Allen was born in Kangaroo Flat, Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
, 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. and studied at Caulfield Technical School, and Swinburne Technical CollegeWorking Men's College, Melbourne
The Working Men's College was an Australian college of further education located in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1887 by a prominent Victorian parliamentarian and philanthropist, Francis Ormond.
The college was the predecessor to the ...
, which in 1934 became the Melbourne Technical College
RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia.
Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...
,[ which became ]RMIT
RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia.
Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...
, from which he retired in 1965.[
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.]
Works
*War memorial near Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance (commonly referred to as The Shrine) is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but ...
(1949)[
*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.
*War memorial, ]Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
Town Hall (1952)[
*Australian War Memorial (1954)][
*Bronze relief portraits mounted on stone wall, installed in namesake Canberra suburbs:
**Chifley Memorial (]Joseph Benedict Chifley
Joseph Benedict Chifley (; 22 September 1885 – 13 June 1951) was an Australian politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1945, follow ...
), Chifley shopping centre, commissioned by the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) 1968, installed 1969
**Curtin Memorial ( John Joseph Curtin), Curtin shopping centre, shopping centre, commissioned by NCDC 1968, installed 1969
**Hughes Memorial (William Morris Hughes
William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia, in office from 1915 to 1923. He is best known for leading the country during World War I, but ...
), Hughes
Hughes may refer to:
People
* Hughes (surname)
* Hughes (given name)
Places Antarctica
* Hughes Range (Antarctica), Ross Dependency
* Mount Hughes, Oates Land
* Hughes Basin, Oates Land
* Hughes Bay, Graham Land
* Hughes Bluff, Victoria La ...
shopping centre, commissioned by NCDC 1964, installed 1964
**Lyons Memorial (Joseph Aloysius Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the 10th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He began his career in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), ...
), Lyons
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
shopping centre, commissioned by NCDC 1968, installed 1969
Recognition
*In 1954 he was awarded the Queen's Coronation Medal.
Family
Allen married Ethel Maud Turner. They had a home at 10 Ruabon Road, Toorak, Victoria
Toorak () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area, on Boonwurrung Land. Toorak recorded a population of 12,817 at the 2021 ...
.[
]
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, George Henry
1900 births
1972 deaths
20th-century Australian sculptors
Australian male sculptors