George Bell studied in Melbourne and Paris, and was elected a member of the Modern Society of Portrait Painters, London, in 1908. After spending 17 years abroad, including a period as an official war artist, he returned to Australia in 1920 and began teaching privately in 1922. In 1932 he founded the Bell-Shore school, which became the centre of the modern movement in Melbourne.
In his Foreward to Classical Modernism, James Mollison wrote, 'Bell occupies a unique position in the development of Australian art. After spending a significant portion of his career working in a traditional manner, he was converted to modern art and spent the remainder of his life instilling its principles into two generations of Australian painters.'
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 1998
© Estate of Louis Kahan
Accession number: 1998.23
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On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
Sarah Engledow on a foundational gallery figure who was quick on the draw.
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