George Gittoes
(Born 1949)
George Gittoes was born in Brighton-le-Sands, New South Wales. George’s father, Claude, was Secretary of the Department of Main Roads and his mother, Joyce, was an artist and potter. Both parents encouraged George as an artist.
In 1969 he travelled to the United States where he was influenced by the African American social -realist painter, Joe Delaney. Returning to Australia he began to paint figurative images and co-founded with fellow artist Martin Sharp the ‘Yellow House’, a multi-media environmental gallery and performance space complex.
His powerful images explore his personal concerns with war and violence in places such as Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Israel and Palestine. During the 1980s his work included holograms, installations, film and performance pieces.
George is recognized as an Australian artist, film producer, director and writer. His service to Australia has been recognised by the award of Member of the Order of Australia (1997) “for service to art and international relations as an artist and photographer portraying the effects on the environment of war, international disasters and heavy industry”.
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