Historical information

Geoffrey MAINWARING (29 October 1912-13 April 2000)
Born Adelaide, South Australia

Geoffrey Mainwaring studied at the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts before becoming an art teacher at Thebarton Technical School (1928-36). Mainwaring was adept at depicting a variety of subjects, from landscapes to portraits, and was very competent using a variety of media, including pencil, oils, and watercolour. He was a confident draftsperson, and completed many sensitively rendered portraits that give an insight into the character of the sitter.

In June 1941 Geoffrey Mainwaring (SX13471) joined the 2nd Australian Imperial Force, and after five months was transferred to the Engineers and employed as a Sergeant-Instructor, specialising in demolitions. In late 1942, he was sent to New Guinea as an Australian army artist on probation. On 27 May 1947, Mainwaring was discharged from the Army, having served for five and a half years. He was appointed as an artist on a civilian basis until his paintings were completed in March 1948. In 1949 he was appointed Head of the Art School at the Ballarat School of Mines (now Federation University Australia). He continued to paint commissioned portraits for the Australian War Memorial until the late 1950s. Geoffrey Mainwaring died at Ballarat in April 2000.

David Alexander was a medical doctor in Ballarat for many years. Alongside his medical work he was a committed artist, producing a large body of work over his lifetime. He was an instigator of the Federation University Art Collection and was a great supporter of local artists. Geoff Mainwaring taught painiting at the Ballarat Technical Art School, a division of the Ballarat School of Mines.

This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 1000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.

Physical description

Framed portrait of Dr David Alexander by Geoffrey Mainwaring.

Gift of David Alexander, 2014