Harold Freedman b. 1915

Also known as Harold Emanuel Freedman
  • Artist (Industrial / Product Designer),
  • Artist (Printmaker),
  • Artist (Cartoonist / Illustrator),
  • Artist (Painter)
Popular mid 20th century Melbourne painter, illustrator, cartoonist, printmaker and teacher. Freedman was commissioned to paint a large mural of the history of aviation for the Australian War Memorial (1967-72).
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painter, illustrator, cartoonist, printmaker and teacher, was born in Caulfield, Victoria. He studied at Melbourne Technical College (RMIT) in 1929-35. From 1936 he worked as a freelance illustrator and cartoonist for Melbourne weeklies; His ink cartoon Calvalcade of Billy 1940, is in La Trobe, State Library of Victoria, donated by the artist -with other works in 1988. He was an official war artist in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1944-45. As a teacher at RMIT after the war, he initiated the Melbourne Print Group in November 1951; it included Geoffrey Bardwell, assistant lecturer, and associates Christine Aldor, Fred Williams , etc. (see 'Melbourne Prints’ in McCulloch).

He designed Victoria’s Spa Health Resorts: Daylesford, Hepburn Springs c.1952 (National Gallery of Australia) for the Victoria Railways, Australia (NGA poster no. 273)

Freedman did a series of topographical 'Views of Melbourne’ for a book published in 1963. He was commissioned to paint a large mural of the history of aviation for the Australian War Memorial (1967-72), then was appointed state artist for Victoria in 1973, a position he apparently retained until his death in 1999. His first commission, a mural on the theme of transport for Spencer Street Station (removed for reconstruction of Southern Cross Station, 2004), was followed by a number of murals, including one on the theme of regional history for the new state offices at Geelong.

Writers:
Kerr, Joan
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007

Difference between this version and previous

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Related stub people
  • Bardwell, Geoffrey (associate of)
  • Aldor, Christine (associate of)
  • Williams, Fred (associate of)
  • Freedman, David (parent of)
Related stub person groups
  • Melbourne Print Group (associate of)
Related works
  • 'Views of Melbourne' (creator of)
  • Victoria's Spa Health Resorts: Daylesford, Hepburn Springs (creator of)
  • Calvalcade of Billy (creator of)
Related collections
  • Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA (collected in)
  • Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (collected in)
  • Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania (collected in)
  • La Trobe Collection, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic. (collected in)
  • National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Vic. (collected in)
  • Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT (collected in)
  • Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW (collected in)
  • Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Qld. (collected in)
Related recognitions
  • Mural on the theme of regional history for the new state offices at Geelong (received)
  • Mural on the theme of transport for Spencer Street Station (received)
  • Appointed state artist for Victoria (received)
  • Large mural of the history of aviation for the Australian War Memorial (received)