Molnar, George (1910 – 1998)

George Molnar original cartoon artwork

Molnar was born of a Catholic family in Nagyvarad, Hungary. He graduated B.Arch. (Budapest University) in 1932. He came to Australia in 1939 and worked as an architect in Canberra. In 1975 he illustrated \Life in Canberra: A Satirical Guide' full of gags about public servants etc., especially the Income Tax Office. During the Second World War, Molnar was a designer for the Ministry of Munitions with Bernard Hesling , who claimed to have encouraged Molnar to draw cartoons. In return Molnar gave Hesling, then daily cartoonist on the Telegraph , drawing lessons. Molnar said he became a cartoonist by accident. Influenced by Osbert Lancaster and Saul Steinberg, his earliest cartoons appeared in the Daily Telegraph for some years from 1945. He also drew cartoons for Australia, National Journal and Australia Week-end Book . In 1949 he did pages of cartoons for A.M.illustrating George Orwell’s 1984 . Unhappy with Packer’s editorial intervention at the Telegraph , Molnar moved in February 1954 to the Sydney Morning Herald as its leader-page cartoonist alternating with Eyre Jr. Molnar continued his Saturday cartoon on the Herald until 1984 while simultaneously lecturing in Architecture at SU. He also drew and exhibited his work in galleries. At the Macquarie Galleries in 1955 he had an exhibition of drawings and pastels. He began doing watercolours in the 1970s and held an exhibition of his watercolours and some drawings at Macquarie in 1977,