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 Bendigo, Australia
Died	12 October 1972(1972-10-12) (aged 72)
Education	Bendigo Junior Technical School Caulfield Technical School Swineburne Technical College
Known for	Sculpture

History

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

• 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:
  • Chifley Memorial (Joseph Benedict Chifley), 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), Hughes shopping centre, commissioned by NCDC 1964, installed 1964
  • Lyons Memorial (Joseph Aloysius Lyons), Lyons shopping centre, commissioned by NCDC 1968, installed 1969^[8]

Recognition

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

Family

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

Notes

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

1. "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. 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.