James William Govett (1910 – 11 July 1998) was an Australian

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

who worked mostly in

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

and oil, focusing on landscapes and

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

Early life

Govett was born in 1910 in the small suburb of

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, to parents Alexander and Helena Nellie Govett. During Govett's childhood, his family moved often due his father's job as a State Savings Bank

Branch Manager A branch manager is an executive who oversees a division or office of a large business or organization, operating locally or with a particular function. Their responsibility is to ensure that payments to employees are correct, their vacation pay arr ...

. Govett studied art at the

National Gallery School The National Gallery of Victoria Art School, associated with the National Gallery of Victoria, was a private fine arts college founded in 1867 and was Australia's leading art school of 50 years. It is also referred to as the 'National Gallery ...

, and later at the Max Meldrum School from 1930 to 1939 while working as a bank clerk at the State Bank. His mother was also a painter and studied with Max Meldrum from 1931 to 1950. Govett served in the Army in the Pacific during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for five years, and was awarded the

Pacific Star The Pacific Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in the Pacific Campaign from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War. One clasp, Burma, was ...

for his service. After the war, he moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he studied under Thomas Dugdale at the Chelsea School of Art in 1947.

Career

During his lifetime Govett lived in London and Melbourne, having a studio at 22 Cheyne Gardens,

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

in the early 1970s. While in

, he produced portraits of adults and children, as well as contemporary scenes of the city. He also did copies of old masters' works such as

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

at the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. One of his most famous portraits, "Portrait of Sir Charles Mackerras", was exhibited at Qantas Gallery, London. In later years, he returned permanently to Melbourne and resumed his residence at 22 Scenic Crescent, Kalorama, in the

Dandenongs The Dandenong Ranges (commonly just The Dandenongs) are a set of low mountain ranges, rising to 633 metres at Mount Dandenong, approximately east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The ranges consist mostly of rolling hills, steeply weathere ...

. He died on 11 July 1998 and was buried at the Kangaroo Ground Cemetery on 16 July 1998.

Exhibitions

*National Gallery School, Melbourne – 1946 * Athenaeum Gallery – 5 January 1953 (Joint Exhibition with Nellie Govett) *Athenaeum Gallery – 29 April 1957 (Joint Exhibition with Nellie Govett) *Qantas Gallery, London – 4 October 1966 * Woburn Abbey – 1972 *Hilton Park Lane London – 1970s *Soroptomist Headquarters (Victoria), South Yarra – September 1993 (A retrospective art exhibition of two artists – mother and son: Helena Nellie Govett and James Romaine Govett)

Known portraits

*Sir

Lawrence Bragg Sir William Lawrence Bragg, (31 March 1890 – 1 July 1971) was an Australian-born British physicist and X-ray crystallography, X-ray crystallographer, discoverer (1912) of Bragg's law, Bragg's law of X-ray diffraction, which is basic for t ...

. Exhibited Qantas Gallery, London. 1966, (Correspondence in National Archives, London). * Viscount Bruce of Melbourne. (1948/9) Commissioned by

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Paris *The Earl of Caithness (Malcolm Sinclair, 20th Earl of Caithness) (London 1967). Exhibited at Hilton Gallery, London. 197-?) (Caithness Collection, Scotland) * Ma Dalley - Mayor of Kew in 1954 *Prof. A.C. Chisholm (1953) submitted for Archibald Prize. *Madame Fernanda Milinaire, wife of Didier Milinaire, son of the Duchess of Bedford. Exhibited at Woburn 1972. *

Sir Alexander Downer Sir Alexander Russell "Alick" Downer (7 April 1910 – 30 March 1981) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 1949 and 1963, representing the Liberal Party, and served as Minister for ...

, Australian High Commissioner, London. Exhibited Qantas Gallery, London. 1966? *James Govett (1960) (self portrait: titled on verso "The Laughing Artist") (Private Collection, Melbourne) *John Govett (Private Collection, Melbourne) *Mrs (Nellie) Govett (after Max Meldrum portrait) Kyneton Historical Society (Bequested by the artist) *Lady Deborah Vernon Hackett (1887–1965) St Georges College,

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

. Perth. (Source:

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

) * Joan Hammond. Exhibited Qantas Gallery, London, 1966 * Rolf Harris. (London 1966) Exhibited Qantas Gallery, London. 1966 (Private Collection, Melbourne) * Robert Helpmann. Exhibited Qantas Gallery, London, 1966 * Graham Kennedy (Bequested by the artist to Mornington Memorabilia Society) *Sir John Longstaff. (Bequested to the NGV... but not in their listing) * Charles Mackerras. Exhibited Qantas Gallery, London, 1966 *Ken Petrie. (Private Collection, Melbourne) *H.R.H. Princess Margaret. (1952)

Victoria League The Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship (1901–present) is a voluntary charitable organisation that connects people from Commonwealth countries. There are currently branches in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand with affiliated organisatio ...

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Viscount Slim Viscount Slim, of Yarralumla in the Capital Territory of Australia and of Bishopston in the City and County of Bristol, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1960 for Field Marshal Sir William Slim upon the end o ...

(

Seaford House Seaford House, originally called Sefton House, is a former aristocratic mansion and the largest of the detached houses sited on each corner of Belgrave Square, London, England. It is a magnolia stucco building with four main storeys most fame ...

, Belgrave Square) Exhibited at Woburn in 1972) *Dr Henry Douglas Stephens (1877–1952) Stephen's family collection, (Melbourne?) (Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography) *Marita Swift (Cousin of James) Swift Family collection *Malcolm Smart (served with James in New Guinea WWII) Smart Family collection

Sources

* "An easel on wheels". ''Morning Herald'' (Sydney). 4 October 1966 * "Art is her only gossip". '' The Argus'' 6 January 1953 * "Australian artist James Govett..." '' The Herald''. 17 November 1952. * "Disappointed". Unknown newspaper 17 June 1953 * Govett, James William. (1972) Exhibition of Portraits and Landscapes by James Govett: 30 August/ 27 September 1972: Woburn Abbey seat of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford. 7p. * Govett, James William. (197-?) James Govett: Exhibition London Hilton

Art Gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The lon ...

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from May ...

W.1: 13–26 July. 5p. * Govett, James William and Govett, Helena Nellie. A retrospective art exhibition of two artists – mother and son: Helena Nellie Govett and James Romaine Govett at Soroptomist Headquarters, South Yarra. September 1993 * "I found Rembrandt's secret..." '' Sun-Herald'' (Sydney). 9 October 1996.
james.govett's photostream Flickr
* "James Govett...Rembrandt's glow". Unknown newspaper 20 April 1957. * James Govett to Lawrence Bragg W.L. (National Archives: BRAGG/54A/46) Correspondence in 1966 re offer to do his portrait for notable Australians show at Qantas Gallery (files at Royal Institution of Great Britain) * Matheson, Anne. "Princess Anne's escort: Australian has painted portrait of the young Earl of Caithness". ''The Australian Women's Weekly''. 21 June 1967. p. 22 *

National Archives of Australia The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that serves as the national archives of the nation. It collects, preserves and encourages ...

. Govett, James William: War Service Record. www.naa.gov.au * National Dictionary of Biography. (Several articles have indications of portraits done by James Govett). * Noted portraitist in Canberra.

Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

. 10 October 1964. p. 14. * Obituary for James Govett (placed by DeWolfe family) ''The Age''. 14 July 1998. * Obituary for James Govett (placed by Molesworth family) ''The Age''. 13 July 1998. * Perry, Peter & Perry, John. Max Meldrum & Associates: Their Arts, lives and influences. Castlemaine Art Museum, 1996. * Phillip Caldwell Auctioneers. The James & Helen Johnson Collection & selected vendors: Sunday 11 June 2007. (inc. 20 lots of paintings by James Govett) * "Princess most beautiful girl I have seen". ''The Sun'' (Melbourne). 26 December 1952. * Public Records Office, (Melbourne). Will, probate and administration files: Govett, James William 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Govett, James 1910 births 1998 deaths Australian painters 20th-century Australian artists Artists from Melbourne Australian military personnel of World War II Military personnel from Melbourne People from Hawthorn, Victoria National Gallery of Victoria Art School alumni