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Historical Artist - George William Pilkington (1879 - 1958)
George William Pilkington was born in Sea Point, South Africa 1879 -
1958
Art Education
Mainly self-taught; instruction under James Ford, a well-known Cape Town art-teacher of the
1890s.
1923: Life-drawing classes at Miehaelis School, Cape Town
Short Artist Biography
George Pilkington was educated in Cape Town, played full-back for Hamiltons in 1890s.
1905: George Pilkington elected laymember of South Society of Artists, painting a part-time
hobby. Became a civil-servant: private-secretary to Henry Burton, who was variously South
African Minister of Finance and Minister of Railways and Harbours
1912-24; very keen yachtsman and trout-fisherman; edited `The Cape'.
1924: George Pilkington began a full-time painting career, devoting himself almost exclusively
to marine subjects; according to dealer Ernest Lezard, his paintings caused a sensation when
shown for the first time in Johannesburg; Lezard added that it became a Cape Town custom to
include a picture by George Pilkington in every presentation made to visiting ships' captains
(`Star' 15 May 1937).
1936: his painting Wet Towage was hung `on the line' at Royal Academy.
1941: George Pilkington completed two commissioned murals - Disembarkation at Cape Town, 19th
Cententury and Embarking at Cape Town, 20th Century - for Cape Town Post Office; George
Pilkington commissioned to paint marine subjects for WW2 War Art records.
Art Exhibitions
Group art exhibitions with South African Society of Artists, National Society of
Artists; also in London - ROI, RBA and Royal Academy; numerous one-man art exhibitions in South
Africa.
1941--45: Exhibitions of South African War Art.
1952: Van Riebeeck Tercent Exhibition, Cape Town.
1953: Rhodes Centenary Exhibition, Bulawayo.
Public Art Collections
South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Pretoria Art Museum; William Humphreys
Gallery, Kmbly; Durban Art Gallery; Ann Bryant Gallery, East London; South African National War
Museum, Johannesburg; South Africa House, London
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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