Description

Extended Data

DAAO URL

https://www.daao.org.au/bio/geoffrey-hannah

Birth Place

Coraki, NSW, Australia

Biography

Australian woodworker Geoffrey Hannah was born in 1948 at Ventura Private Hospital in the rural northern New South Wales town of Coraki. His family lived in Busbys Flat but moved often to various towns in the area including Wyrallah, Rosebank, Coorabell and Tregeagle until 1962 when they finally established their home in Lismore. Hannah’s father worked cutting sleepers and girders and also at a local sawmill. This had a strong influence on Hannah’s decision to begin a woodworking apprenticeship in 1963 at a Lismore-based woodworking company called Brown and Jolly. Here he learnt a diverse range of woodworking skills including cabinet-making, polishing and restoration of old furniture and instruments including pianolas. In 1973 he left Brown and Jolly to establish his own business, Geoffrey S. Hannah Furniture Maker; Hannah’s own makers mark is 3051. In 1980 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship which enabled him to research fine furniture from the period 1635-1850, while travelling throughout England and France. Cabinet-making had become his primary focus and he grew particularly fond of the grand style of English and Dutch cabinets of the late seventeenth century. In this tradition, Hannah’s works encourage the viewer to explore the intricate ornamentations hidden behind multiple layers of doors. Unlike these traditional European cabinets, Hannah incorporates many varieties of Australian native timbers and natural materials into his work. This is particularly evident in Australiana Collectors’ Cabinet, which exhibits the unique textures of Australian timbers. Whilst Hannah uses examples of Australian native flora and fauna extensively in his work, he also uses natural materials from all over the world. This is seen in Hannah Cabinet, as the main structure is made from Brazilian mahogany with veneers of madrona burl, and other woods are used including East Indian rosewood and ebony. Similarly, in Hannah’s marquetry, Australian native subjects appear widely but often alongside foreign species. The floral motifs displayed on his constructions are made to resemble the natural species as authentically as possible. This is achieved through Hannah’s unique production methods which include cutting out the veneer freehand and scorching it in hot sand. In 1986 Hannah had his first solo exhibition in Canberra at Churchill House, showing a variety of furniture pieces including a George IV style cabinet, an English cake-stand and two French writing desks. Marking the occasion of Australia’s bicentenary, in 1988 Hannah was invited to present the Bicentenary Cabinet at the Sydney Opera House in an exhibition called 'Woodcraft Goes to the Opera’. The cabinet was not offered for sale but toured to many other venues around Australia. In this year he was also awarded the Silver Medallion for the Arts as part of the Lismore Bicentennial Australia Day Awards and was nominated again in 2009. Hannah’s next major work, a jewellery cabinet, was made in memory of his father, David Hannah. It was displayed unfinished at the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne. For this work he received the National Exhibition for Woodwork award in the traditional furniture section (he subsequently won the award three more times for other furniture works). Once the cabinet was returned to him for completion it was sent to Sydney to be exhibited in the Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW. The jewellery cabinet was acquired in 1991 by the 'Australiana Fund’ which is intended to promote works that have cultural and artistic merit and reflect Australia’s history. It is displayed in the private entrance hall at the Governor General’s Residence at Yarralumla and became known as the Yarralumla Cabinet . The Australiana Collectors’ Cabinet , which is much larger in size, followed as his next major work. The cabinet has one hundred timbers and ninety of them are Australian including banksia, jarrah and macadamia nut. The marquetry seen on the two front doors of the cabinet represent the floral emblems of each Australian state and territory. Unusual Australian native organic materials are used in the work such as emu egg, which is used to frame one of the inside door panels. Hannah’s use of distinctly Australian timbers and natural materials married with his technical skill is internationally recognised; the Australiana Collectors’ Cabinet was bought by a private company in Antwerp in 2000. The Hannah Cabinet , a more recent work, took six-and-a-half years to complete. As well as Australian and international timbers, it incorporates raw materials from all around the world including the New Zealand paua shell and semi-precious stones such as blue lapis from Afghanistan and green jasper from Mt Warning. The stones are all cut by Hannah in his workshop and are then featured in the cabinet mainly as drawer bases and fronts. All the doors display detailed marquetry on both sides, bringing colour and dynamism to the strong structure and grand size of the cabinet. The artist named the cabinet after his immediate family, imbuing the object with personal sentiment. The importance of community is also very visible in Hannah’s work as a teacher and in his support for regional cultural industries and institutions. Many of his cabinets, including the Australiana Collectors’ Cabinet were unveiled in the Fountain Room at the Lismore City Hall. Hannah conducts classes for students in furniture-making in his workshop in Lismore and also travels to cities and regional towns throughout Australia teaching woodworking skills including marquetry and furniture restoration. In 2007 Hannah took ten of his students on tour to Europe to visit many of the museums and art collections at which he studied through the support of his Churchill Fellowship. Hannah was able to offer his students a unique insight into historical examples of traditional European cabinet-making. Hannah’s diverse use of materials and the assortment of natural motifs seen in his marquetry offer a new interpretation of these traditional styles of cabinet-making. While he draws influence from all over the world, there is a strong reference in his work to the unique beauty of Australian raw materials and native wildlife. Writers: MacDonald, Sarah Date written: 2009 Last updated: 2011

Born

b. 1948

Summary

Geoffrey Hannah is an Australian woodworker who practices in cabinet-making, french polishing, furniture restoration, stone-cutting and marquetry. He is a four times winner of the National Exhibition for Woodwork Award in Traditional Furniture Section and a Churchill Fellowship recipient.

Gender

Male

Died

None listed

Age at death

None listed