Gert Sellheim (1901–1970) was a German-Australian artist. He won the Sulman Prize for his work in 1939 for his Mural Decoration on wall of Victorian Government Tourist Bureau, Hotel Australia Building, 272 Collins Street, Melbourne. Sellheim was born in Estonia to German parents and studied architecture at universities in Germany before migrating to

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

in 1926. He established an architecture and design practice in Melbourne in 1930, and moved to Sydney in 1947. A significant selection of his work was exhibited in the exhibition ''Aboriginal Art and its Application'' organised by the

Australian Museum The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney, William Street, Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural ...

, Sydney in 1941 and his design for an 'Aboriginal Art' stamp was released in Australia in 1948. Sellheim produced posters for the

Australian National Travel Association The Australian National Travel Association (1929–2001) was a semi-government industry organisation which promoted tourism and travel in Australia. Establishment The Australian National Travel Association was formed in 1929 at the onset of the G ...

and his most renowned design is Qantas airlines' distinctive flying kangaroo logo, created in 1947. In 2019 Gert Sellheim was inducted to the Australian Graphic Design Association Hall of Fame.

References

1901 births 1970 deaths German emigrants to Australia German artists 20th-century Australian painters Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany {{Germany-artist-stub