Name

Herbert S. Gilkes

Other names

Gilkes, Herbert Samuel.

Culture

Australian | English

Gender

Male

Birth date

21 February 1873

Birth place

Brighton, Sussex, England View on map Close map

Death date

26 December 1956

Death Place

Longueville, New South Wales, Australia View on map Close map

Movements

Australia from 4 October 1920 aboard 'Ormonde'.

Occupations

Art curator | Print collector | Print-seller

Summary

print curator Worked: Australia (NSW, VIC)

Context

Australia

Addresses

• 1924.
  Twyford House, 17 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  (A in A 2:10, 1924, ad)

• 1951.
  143 New Street, Middle Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  (Sun-Herald, 12 December 1951, p.26)

Biography

Herbert Samuel Gilkes was born Brighton, England and as a young man worked for his father, a 'decorative merchant'. Lionel Lindsay notes that he began collecting prints when he was fifteen, purchasing both in England and on the continent (Art in Australia, 3:10 December 1924). After war service he migrated to Australia in 1920 bringing with him his collection of some 5,000 prints - ranging from old masters to contemporary. His desire was to see his collection preserved in a cultural institution, but, due to reasons of health, he decided to sell his works. He advertised as a print dealer in Sydney from about 1924.

In January 1927 he was appointed keeper of prints at the National Gallery of Victoria (Australasian, 22 January 1927, p.40) a position he held until 1939.

He married Mary Rebekah Evelyn Gilkes of Christchurch, New Zealand, in Queensland in 1931. (Telegraph, 9 September 1931, p.12). She died 9 December 1951 in Melbourne. He travelled briefly to England in 1948. After the death of his wife he lived in Sydney where he died in 1956.

Last Updated

19 Apr 2024