Georges Mora was a German-born Australian entrepreneur, art dealer, patron, connoisseur and restaurateur.
14 Facts About Georges Mora
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2.
Sons William Georges Mora, born in 1953, and Tiriel Georges Mora, are respectively an art dealer and an actor.
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In 1958 Georges Mora established Cafe Balzac in East Melbourne gaining a reputation as a restaurateur serving classic French cuisine to an eager clientele, which included a gathering of the most significant contemporary Australian artists, to whom he proffered the walls of his establishment.
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In 1969, to avoid bankruptcy, Georges Mora sold the Tolarno hotel and leased out the restaurant and gallery.
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In 1979, Georges Mora sold the restaurant to Leon Massoni and relocated the Tolarno Galleries to River Street, South Yarra.
6.
Georges Mora travelled to the USA and Europe promoting the international reputation of Australian art, and selling European, American and Australian art into his adopted country's national, state, regional and corporate collections, lending work for a very significant Bonnard exhibition touring Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth state museums in 1971.
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William Georges Mora joined his father in running the gallery before setting up his own in the city.
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In 1985 Georges Mora married artist Caroline Williams when their son, Sam, was born.
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Georges Mora was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 1989 and he was a strong supporter of the move toward multiculturalism in his adopted country.
10.
On 7 June 1992, at the age of 78, and still energetically running the Tolarno Gallery, Georges Mora died of a brain tumour.
11.
Georges Mora was buried at Cheltenham New Cemetery, where his grave bears the quip 'Out to Lunch'.
12.
George and Mirka's son William has continued the family line of dealer for many decades and his William Georges Mora Galleries is at 60 Tanner St Richmond.
13.
Monsieur Mayonnaise, the 2016 documentary directed by Trevor Graham and named for Georges Mora's nickname given him by the Resistance, features as interviewee and narrator his son Philippe Georges Mora.
14.
In Georges' memory The Georges Mora Foundation was established in 2006.