B. 1949

Traversing expressionism, social realism and postmodernism, George Gittoes is a renowned artist, activist and filmmaker. In 1970, he helped establish the Yellow House Artist Collective, a bohemian institution inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s artist commune and the British Arts Lab movement of the late 1960s, before going on to settle in Bundeena. 

In the decades since, Gittoes has acted as an eyewitness to conflict, travelling to war-stricken regions including Afghanistan, Rwanda, the Philippines and Bosnia. In 1997, informed by firsthand experience, he exhibited a series of paintings about the Rwandan genocide at Documenta X in Basel, Germany. For Gittoes:

“...the purpose of contemporary art is to challenge, rather than entertain. My work is confronting humanity with the darker side of itself.”

Gittoes has won the Blake Prize for Religious Art twice, is a Member of the Order of Australia and a recipient of the Bassel Shehadeh Award for Social Justice and Sydney Peace Prize, among other achievements. His work is represented at the National Gallery of Australia, the Powerhouse Museum, the State Library of NSW, the Queensland Art Gallery and the Museum & Art Gallery of NT.