George Washington Thomas Lambert ARA (13 September 1873 – 28 May 1930) was an Australian artist, known principally for portrait paintings and as a war artist during the First World War.
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Early life
He was born in St Petersburg, Russia, the son of another George Washington Lambert (1833-1873) of Baltimore, Maryland. He arrived in Australia in 1887.
Early career
Lambert exhibited his first picture at the Royal Art Society in 1894. He began painting full-time in 1896. In 1899 he won the Wynne Prize with Across the Blacksoil Plains. He studied at Academie Julian in Sydney until 1900. Later, he won a travelling scholarship for 150 pounds from the government of New South Wales. He spent a year in Paris before moving to London where he exhibited at the Royal Academy. He was awarded a silver medal at an international exhibition for his painting The Sonnet in Barcelona in 1911. He was most known during this time as a portrait artist.
War artist
He became an official Australian war artist in 1917 during the First World War. His painting Anzac, the landing 1915 of the landings on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey, is the largest painting at the Australian War Memorial collection. He travelled to Gallipoli in 1919 to make sketches for the painting.
Return to Australia
He returned to Australia in 1921, where he had success in Melbourne with a one man show at Fine Art Society gallery. He was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1922. In 1927 he won the Archibald Prize, Australia's most prestigious art prize for portraiture, with his work titled Mrs Murdoch. He died on 28 May, 1930 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London.[1]
Personal life
Lambert married Amelia Beatrice "Amy" Absell (1872-1963) in 1900. Lambert was the father of Constant Lambert, the British composer and conductor, born in London in 1905, and the grandfather of Kit Lambert.
External links
- Bio on Gutenberg site
- Artist profile - Australian War Memorial
- Lambert exhibition, Gallipoli and Palestine landscapes - Australian War Memorial
- George Washington Lambert at Australian Art
- George Washington Lambert memorial at Find A Grave
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Beckwith McInnes |
Archibald Prize 1927 for Mrs. Murdoch |
Succeeded by John Longstaff |
