Sculptor George Rayner Hoff (1894–1937) was born on the Isle of Man, the son of a stonemason and woodcarver. He studied at the Nottingham Art School before joining the army and serving in France in the First World War. Afterwards, he studied sculpture at the Royal College of Art and also in Italy as the winner of the Prix de Rome. In 1923 he came to Sydney to take up the position of Instructor in Drawing and Sculpture at East Sydney Technical College. 'As a sculptor he has achieved some remarkable successes, yet he is still a young man,’ stated a profile in Art in Australia in March 1924, ‘and in the ordinary course of events his best work should still be in front of him.' Hoff indeed succeeded in transforming Australian sculpture, introducing a sleek, spare and often sensual art deco style both as a practitioner and teacher. With a gifted group of mainly female students and assistants he undertook high-profile commissions between the wars. These included the sculptures for the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney, executed between 1930 and 1933; and the memorial to King George V located opposite Old Parliament House in Canberra, though Hoff died before it was completed.
Gift of Richard King 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
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