Georges Mora
Encyclopedia
Georges Mora was a German
-born Australia
n entrepreneur, art dealer, patron, connoisseur and restaurateur.
heritage. As a young medical student Mora became a member of a communist cell and fled Germany to Paris
in 1930. When the Spanish Civil War
broke out, Georges left Paris to join the cause. After a plane crash, he was a prisoner of war for a short time. He was active in the French Resistance
in World War II
, using the alias Georges Morand. After the War, Georges worked as a patent dealer and became the director of a Jewish rehabilitation home for children run by Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants (OSE) in Paris. Later In 1947 he married Parsian artist and fellow Jewish refugee
Mirka Zelik
, becoming a French citizen.
(a filmmaker) they joined his family in New York
, then in July 1951 moved on to McKinnon, Melbourne, Australia where he adopted the name Georges Mora. With characteristic adaptability he took up management of a matzos factory. Seeking more romantic quarters Georges and Mirka moved into Grosvenor Chambers (Ola Cohn's
former studio) at 9 Collins Street Melbourne (the so called 'Paris End'). Recognising that their hospitality and cuisine was marketable, the Moras opened a coffee lounge. In 1954, 'Mirka Café' was the first in Melbourne where patrons could eat at tables on the pavement in the Parisian style and the cafe was became the watering-hole of Melbourne's avant-garde. Patrons ate from Expressionist crockery by Arthur Boyd
and John Perceval
, were seated on surrealist furniture, and surrounded by murals and sculptures by Clifford Last
, Ian Sime and Julius Kane. In 1958 he established Café Balzac in East Melbourne
where he established a high standing as a restaurateur serving classic French cuisine to an eager clientele, which included a gathering of the most significant contemporary Australian artists to whom he proffered the walls of his establishment. Georges and Mirka relocated their business, opening in 1965 the Tolarno Restaurant and Galleries in Melbourne's bohemian St Kilda
. The rear of the building became a venue for exhibitions of avant garde art and was soon surrounded by other galleries.
was regularly visited by artists Charles Blackman
, Albert Tucker
, John Perceval
, Sidney Nolan
, Joy Hester
, John Olsen
, Colin Lanceley, Gareth Sansom
, Mike Brown, Martin Sharp
, Asher Bilu
and Ivan Durrant. They were joined by prominent journalists and writers Barrett Reid, Brian McArdle and Philip Jones, who found company amongst the likes of French mime
Marcel Marceau
, Barry Humphries
, photographers such as Robert Whitaker
and Mark Strizic, and filmmaker Nigel Buesst. Built by architect Peter Burns, the house opened onto a common courtyard shared by the Moras' close friends Sunday
and John Reed
art patrons and founders of the Heide Circle
.
Sons William Mora, born in 1953, and Tiriel Mora
(1958), are respectively an art dealer and an actor.
. Georges travelled to the USA and Europe promoting the international reputation of Australian art, and selling European, American and Australian art into his adopted country's national, state, regional and corporate collections, lending work for a very significant Bonnard
exhibition touring Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth state museums in 1971. Exhibitions in the first years (1967–69) of the new gallery also presented radical hard-edge abstractions by Dale Hickey
and Robert Hunter and sculpture by Ti Parks. William Mora joined his father in running the gallery before setting up his own in the city. Jan Minchin, who came from a position at the National Gallery of Victoria
, was Georges co-director from 1989. Throughout its career, Tolarno Galleries supported challenging contemporary art, including eight shows of highly-charged politico-sexual imagery by Juan Davila
.
In 1985 Georges married artist, Caroline Williams when their son, Sam, was born. Georges was made a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres
by the French Government in 1989 and he was a strong supporter of the move toward multiculturalism in his adopted country.
Georges Mora Foundation and Fellowship
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n entrepreneur, art dealer, patron, connoisseur and restaurateur.
Early life
Mora was born Gunter Morawski in 1913 in Leipzig, Germany of Jewish/PolishPoles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
heritage. As a young medical student Mora became a member of a communist cell and fled Germany to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1930. When the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
broke out, Georges left Paris to join the cause. After a plane crash, he was a prisoner of war for a short time. He was active in the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, using the alias Georges Morand. After the War, Georges worked as a patent dealer and became the director of a Jewish rehabilitation home for children run by Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants (OSE) in Paris. Later In 1947 he married Parsian artist and fellow Jewish refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
Mirka Zelik
Mirka Mora
Mirka Mora is a prominent French-born Australian Visual artist who has contributed significantly to the development of Contemporary Art in Australia. Her mediums include painting, sculpture and mosaics.- Early life :...
, becoming a French citizen.
New York and Melbourne
In 1949, after the birth of their first son Philippe MoraPhilippe Mora
Philippe Mora is a French-born Australian film director. Born in 1949 to a German Jewish father and a French Jewish mother, he began making films while still a child.- Career :...
(a filmmaker) they joined his family in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, then in July 1951 moved on to McKinnon, Melbourne, Australia where he adopted the name Georges Mora. With characteristic adaptability he took up management of a matzos factory. Seeking more romantic quarters Georges and Mirka moved into Grosvenor Chambers (Ola Cohn's
Ola Cohn
Ola Cohn, born Carola Cohn in Bendigo was an Australian artist, author and philanphropist best known for her work in sculpture in a modernist style and famous for her Fairies Tree in the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne....
former studio) at 9 Collins Street Melbourne (the so called 'Paris End'). Recognising that their hospitality and cuisine was marketable, the Moras opened a coffee lounge. In 1954, 'Mirka Café' was the first in Melbourne where patrons could eat at tables on the pavement in the Parisian style and the cafe was became the watering-hole of Melbourne's avant-garde. Patrons ate from Expressionist crockery by Arthur Boyd
Arthur Boyd
Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd, AC, OBE was one of the leading Australian painters of the late 20th Century. A member of the prominent Boyd artistic dynasty in Australia, his relatives included painters, sculptors, architects or other arts professionals. His sister Mary Boyd married John Perceval,...
and John Perceval
John Perceval
John de Burgh Perceval AO was a well-known Australian artist. Perceval was the last surviving member of a group known as the Angry Penguins who redefined Australian art in the 1940s...
, were seated on surrealist furniture, and surrounded by murals and sculptures by Clifford Last
Clifford Last
Clifford Frank Last was an English sculptor born in England, the son of Nella Last, British author of the war diary Housewife, 49.- Early life :...
, Ian Sime and Julius Kane. In 1958 he established Café Balzac in East Melbourne
East Melbourne, Victoria
East Melbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, adjacent to Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, East Melbourne had a population of 4,330....
where he established a high standing as a restaurateur serving classic French cuisine to an eager clientele, which included a gathering of the most significant contemporary Australian artists to whom he proffered the walls of his establishment. Georges and Mirka relocated their business, opening in 1965 the Tolarno Restaurant and Galleries in Melbourne's bohemian St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
. The rear of the building became a venue for exhibitions of avant garde art and was soon surrounded by other galleries.
Aspendale
The Moras' modernist house at bayside AspendaleAspendale, Victoria
Aspendale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston...
was regularly visited by artists Charles Blackman
Charles Blackman
Charles Blackman is one of the best known Australian artists still living today, especially for the famous Schoolgirl and Alice in Wonderland series of the 1950s...
, Albert Tucker
Albert Tucker (artist)
Albert Lee Tucker , a pivotal Australian artist, was a member of the Heide Circle, a group of leading modernist artists and writers that centred on the art patrons John and Sunday Reed, whose home, "Heide", located in Bulleen, near Heidelberg , was a haven for the group...
, John Perceval
John Perceval
John de Burgh Perceval AO was a well-known Australian artist. Perceval was the last surviving member of a group known as the Angry Penguins who redefined Australian art in the 1940s...
, Sidney Nolan
Sidney Nolan
Sir Sidney Robert Nolan OM, AC was one of Australia's best-known painters and printmakers.-Early life:Nolan was born in Carlton, a suburb of Melbourne, on 22 April 1917. He was the eldest of four children. His family later moved to St Kilda. Nolan attended the Brighton Road State School and...
, Joy Hester
Joy Hester
Joy St Clair Hester was an Australian artist who played an important, though sometimes underrated, role in the development of Australian modernism, though her works could also be considered Abstract Expressionism....
, John Olsen
John Olsen
John Wayne Olsen, AO was Premier of South Australia between 28 November 1996 and 22 October 2001.-Parliament:Olsen was a member of the Liberal Party and Member of Parliament for more than 20 years...
, Colin Lanceley, Gareth Sansom
Gareth Sansom
Gareth Sansom is an Australian artist, painter, printmaker and collagist and winner of the 2008 John McCaughey Memorial Prize of $100,000....
, Mike Brown, Martin Sharp
Martin Sharp
Martin Sharp is an Australian artist, underground cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker. Sharp has made contributions to Australian and international culture since the early 60s, and is hailed as Australia's foremost pop artist...
, Asher Bilu
Asher Bilu
Asher Bilu , is an Australian artist who creates paintings, sculptures and installations. He has also contributed to several films by Director Paul Cox as production designer. He was born in Israel, and began his career as an artist soon after arriving in Australia in 1956. From the start, his art...
and Ivan Durrant. They were joined by prominent journalists and writers Barrett Reid, Brian McArdle and Philip Jones, who found company amongst the likes of French mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau
Marcel Marceau was an internationally acclaimed French actor and mime most famous for his persona as Bip the Clown.-Early years:...
, Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
, photographers such as Robert Whitaker
Robert Whitaker
Robert Whitaker or Whittaker may refer to:*Robert Whitaker , American author*Robert Whitaker , British photographer*Robert Whitaker , British showjumper*Robert Whittaker, American vegetation ecologist...
and Mark Strizic, and filmmaker Nigel Buesst. Built by architect Peter Burns, the house opened onto a common courtyard shared by the Moras' close friends Sunday
Sunday Reed
Sunday Reed was notable for supporting and collecting Australian art with her husband John Reed.-Personal history:...
and John Reed
John Reed
-Arts, letters, and entertainment:* John Reed , New York novelist and author* John Reed , actor and singer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company* John Reed , Australian critic and art patron...
art patrons and founders of the Heide Circle
Heide Circle
The Heide Circle was a loose grouping of Australian artists who lived and worked at "Heide", a former dairy farm on the Yarra River floodplain at Bulleen, a suburb of Melbourne, counting amongst their number many of Australia's best-known modernist painters....
.
Sons William Mora, born in 1953, and Tiriel Mora
Tiriel Mora
Tiriel Mora is an Australian television and film actor. He is the son of Melbourne artist Mirka Mora and Georges Mora , German-born Australian entrepreneur, art dealer, patron, connoisseur and restaurateur....
(1958), are respectively an art dealer and an actor.
Tolarno Galleries
In 1969, to avoid bankruptcy, Mora sold the Tolarno hotel and leased out the restaurant and gallery. In the early 70s he separated from Mirka. In 1979, Georges sold the restaurant to Leon Massoni and relocated the Tolarno Galleries to River Street, South Yarra. The opening show there included lithographs by Renoir secured through his work as a dealer for Daniel WildensteinDaniel Wildenstein
Daniel Leopold Wildenstein was a French art dealer and scholar, as well as a leading thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder....
. Georges travelled to the USA and Europe promoting the international reputation of Australian art, and selling European, American and Australian art into his adopted country's national, state, regional and corporate collections, lending work for a very significant Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard was a French painter and printmaker, as well as a founding member of Les Nabis.-Biography:...
exhibition touring Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth state museums in 1971. Exhibitions in the first years (1967–69) of the new gallery also presented radical hard-edge abstractions by Dale Hickey
Dale Hickey
Dale Hickey is an Australian artist.Born in Melbourne, Hickey studied art at Swinburne College of Technology and then held various teaching positions including Senior Lecturer in painting at Phillip Institute of Technology from 1973-89, before devoting himself full-time to painting...
and Robert Hunter and sculpture by Ti Parks. William Mora joined his father in running the gallery before setting up his own in the city. Jan Minchin, who came from a position at the National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
, was Georges co-director from 1989. Throughout its career, Tolarno Galleries supported challenging contemporary art, including eight shows of highly-charged politico-sexual imagery by Juan Davila
Juan Dávila
Juan Dávila was Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1819 to 1819.There is a street in Urbanizacion Las Delicias of Barrio Magueyes in Ponce named after him.-References:...
.
In 1985 Georges married artist, Caroline Williams when their son, Sam, was born. Georges was made a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
by the French Government in 1989 and he was a strong supporter of the move toward multiculturalism in his adopted country.
Death
In 1992, the age of 78 and still energetically running the Tolarno Gallery he died of a brain tumour. Tolarno continues under the directorship of Jan Minchin in new premises at Level 4, 104 Exhibition Street Melbourne. George and Mirka's son William Mora continues the family tradition as the director of William Mora Galleries at 60 Tanner St Richmond. In Georges's memory The Georges Mora Foundation was established in May 2006. It is a not-for-profit cultural foundation dedicated to the promotion of contemporary art and artists in Melbourne and Australia.See also
ABC television program on Mora familyGeorges Mora Foundation and Fellowship