Geoffrey Kellet Long – South African Artist, Paintings 1916 - 1961

Geoffrey Kellet Long was born in Durban, South Africa 1916 - 1961

Art Education
- Geoffrey Long studied at Natal Technicon Art School under OJP Oxley, Central School London; under Martin Bloch, London.

Short Artist Biography
- Geoffrey Long was the son of a British Army Officer who had been a rubber-planter in Malaya. Initially studied machine-draughtsman ship. Fellow students at Natal Technicon included Graham Bell, Noel Langley (GKL designed original sets for Langley’s “Cage me a Peacock” – unstaged).
- 1934 : After a student tour of Europe Geoffrey Long remained in London; assisted Le Roux Smith Le Roux and Eleanor Esmonde-White on South African House murals; worked under Nugent Monk at Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich; designed costumes for Lilian Bayliss at Old Vic.
- 1940 : Geoffrey Long returned to South Africa – drawings of Iscor.
- 1941 : All pre-war work stored in London destroyed in incendiary raid; Geoffrey Long appointed Official South African War Artist – service in North Africa and Italy; completed approximately 400 works; dropped by parachute behind enemy lines in Italy; lived with partisans for six weeks, drawings for “Life” magazine.
- 1945 : Geoffrey Long transferred to England, attached to RAF; entered Berlin with first British troops (believed first South African); completed the only paintings of the scene.
- 1946 – 1954 : Geoffrey Long appointed lecturer at Natal University College, Pietermaritzburg; influential theorist; particularly concerned with theatre-design; responsible for design of three major productions : “Oedipus Rex”, brought to Johannesburg with Taubie Kushlick and Johan Nel; “Macbeth” in Afrikaans (National Theatre Organization); “Hassan” (NTO).
- 1954 – 1961 : Geoffrey Long left for London; taught part-time at Central School Department of Theatre Design; contracted leukemia, worked intermittently until his death. Member of New Group

Art Exhibitions
- 1941 – 1945 : South African War Art Exhibitions.
- 1945 – 1954 : several exhibitions in South Africa alone and jointly with Franois Krige.
- 1952 : Van Riebeeck Tercent Exhibition, Cape Town.
- 1957 : Group Exhibition in London.

Public Art collections
South African National Gallery, Cape Town; South African National War Museum, Johannesburg

Source
Berman, E. 1994. Art & Artists of South Africa . Southern Book Publishers.

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