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Historical Artist - Geoffrey Kellet Long (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.
Contemporary South African Artists
Art Galleries in South Africa
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