George Wyllie MBE

George Wyllie MBE RSA RGI (1921-2012) was born in Glasgow, and he worked as a customs officer before becoming an artist. Wyllie is known for his public sculptures such as the Straw Locomotive and the Paper Boat. He began making art and painting in the 1940's, but it was seeing the 'semi-engineering' of an Arte Povera exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, that inspired him to move into sculpture, building a workshop at his home in Gourock. He became a tutor at Glasgow School of Art, where he taught on the Environmental Art Course. Many of his works were inspired by humour and what he saw around him. Wyllie was a prolific artist, performer and writer, inspiring and influencing the many artists he taught. His work can now be seen in a newly opened museum, The Wyllieum, in Greenock.

Wyllie's work involved many public installations and performances and he exhibited regularly with Compass Gallery, Glasgow. He had many solo exhibitions throughout Scotland, the UK and further afield including Irvine Arts Centre; Collins Exhibition Hall, University of Strathclyde; MacRobert's Arts Centre, University of Stirling; McLean Museum and Art Gallery, Greenock; The Edinburgh Festival; Talbot Rice Centre, University of Edinburgh; Spectro Arts Centre Newcastle; Serpentine Gallery, London; Third Eye Centre, Glasgow; Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, USA; Watermans Art Centre, London; The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens, Glasgow; An Lanntair, Stornoway; Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool; Royal Festival Hall, London; World Financial Centre, New York; Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester and the Engine Room Gallery, Belfast.

His work are in many private and public collections including Glasgow Cathedral; Cheshire County Hall; Glasgow Museums & Art Galleries; Glasgow Museum of Transport; Fluxus Archive USA (Getty); Ufa-Fabrik Berlin; Divine Rhythm (with mural painting by Dawson Murray) Buchannan Galleries Glasgow; The Millennium Garden Spire, Strathclyde University Glasgow; The Bird and the Stone, Marie Curie Centre, Inverclyde Hospital; The Burns Line, Burns Museum, Ayrshire Council; The Peacock, McLellan Galleries; Time Flies, Edinburgh City Council; Amnesty International; Running Clock, Scottish Arts Council; The Whitworth Art Gallery Manchester; Gracefield Arts Centre Dumfries; Crawford Arts Centre University of St. Andrews.