National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 64 | August 2003



George Molnar Cartoons Recent Addition

“All this pommy showing-off ...”  1970 by George Molnar

George Molnar (1910–1998)
“All this pommy showing-off ...”  1970
pen and ink on paper; image 11.8 x 14.8 cm
Pictures Collection, nla.pic-an24027037

 

 

A wonderful new addition to the Pictures Collection was received recently—over 2300 cartoons created by Professor George Molnar (1910–1998) for the Sydney Morning Herald, from the 1950s to the 1980s. The cartoons are drawn with an elegance and precision that reflected Molnar’s position as Professor of Architecture. His observations on architectural issues, such as the controversies surrounding the building of the Sydney Opera House, the use of public space, and the lifestyles of apartment-dwellers, form one theme in the collection. But he also applied his wry sense of humour to many other topics, from the arms race, to Sydney–Melbourne rivalry, and to famous figures ranging from Captain Cook to Arthur Calwell. The collection also includes the drawings Molnar submitted to the competition for the design of the Opera House.

A small ceremony was held on 2 July to thank the cartoonist’s widow, Carol Molnar, for her extraordinary generosity in donating the collection to the National Library. This was followed by a talk by Jo Holder, who curated the very successful exhibition of Molnar’s work at the Customs House, Sydney, in 2001, and is one of the authors of the beautifully-illustrated book, Human Scale in Architecture: George Molnar’s Sydney.

A selection of the cartoons will soon be digitised and available on the Pictures Catalogue, <Catalogue>.
—Linda Groom, Pictures Librarian

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