Portrait of George Claessen (1909-1999) by Domenic Sansoni

BY day, George Claessen was a respected draughtsman earning a living from the Electricity Board. But when he returned to his Tufnell Park home each night, the work attire would be discarded and he would concentrate on his abstract art and poetry.

George, who moved to London from Sri Lanka in 1949, would become a prolific painter whose work is celebrated by Modernist aficionados around the world – but is a painter whose body of art did not reach as large an audience as his talents might have enjoyed during his life.

Now, a documentary produced by Three Highgate gallery reveals the story of a brilliant painter and poet now enjoying posthumous success.

The gallery hosted a major retrospective of George’s work in 2023 – his first London show for 18 years. The work spanned a 70-year period, and now Three Highgate Production’s founder Irina Johnstone and art film director Rob Lemkin have written and directed a documentary that tells George’s story and considers the art he produced.

“I first came across George almost by accident,” explains Irina. “I was in the gallery and a very nice couple came in and we began chatting.”

It was George’s daughter Esmerelda, and she mentioned to Irina her father had been a poet and artist. “I am interested in poetry so the conversations developed,” she reflects.

Irina was curious enough to make a point of reading George’s poetry and finding his art. She knew she was looking at work by a major talent.

Early work by George Claessen

“I was astonished how someone so talented was not much better known,” she adds.

Irina founded Three in 2020 and as well as hosting exhibitions, the gallery publishes books and produces films. “I have lived in Highgate for more than 20 years,” she says. “People have asked me why have a gallery here, and not, for example, in Fitzrovia? I think people underestimate the depth of the cultural atmosphere here in Highgate.

“The gallery does not have fixed criteria, but we try to show artists whose work combines historic topics with culture resonance. We have both modern and contemporary art. I am particularly interested in post-war artists of immense talent who have been underrepresented or overlooked – artists the public have yet to find out about, talents that deserve to be better known.”

George is one such artist.

Born in Sri Lanka in 1909, he moved to London via Australia in 1949 and settled in north London. Entirely self-taught, he created his art at night.

As the film reveals, George did not take up art until he was 29. He had found a job with the Colombo Port Commission as a draughtsman and was posted to look after an ancient ruin in the Sri Lankan jungle. He was given a box of paints to take with him by a friend, in the hope it would stave off boredom.

The paints gave him the means, and the ancient ruins he was stationed among, the inspiration.
He would then join other Sri Lankan artists to form the 43 Group, a collective that embraced modern European arty concepts over more traditional Sri Lankan work. He would later join a similar enterprise in London, the New Vision group, with whom he exhibited.

The film takes the viewer from the depths of Sri Lanka’s countryside to London: the story of his journey and growth as an artist has scooped awards at festivals around the world, winning awards in Argentina, San Francisco and Barcelona. It is due to be shown in London next year.

It stemmed from some footage shot by George’s daughter.

“I was with Esmerelda, looking at George’s art and reading his poetry when she mentioned she had recorded an interview with him over 20 years previously,” reflects Irina.

The home-made recording prompted the idea that he could be subject to a wide-ranging documentary that would place his art in the context of his life and times.

“I couldn’t get the interview out of my head,” she adds. “There was something I found so incredible. He was 83 at the time and had lived in England for 45 years by that point, but had only had one solo show in the UK.

“But his dedication to his art was unbowed – he had this modesty and humility that was linked with a real determination that inspired his creative endeavours. I was fascinated by how he sustained this focus without the adulation his work deserved. Concepts of ‘success’ in the art world appeared not to matter to him. I felt this was worthy of being told.”

Figurative work by George Claessen

While exploring George’s work, Irina concluded that he began to paint out of an artistic necessity.
“George also had no formal training in this field – but that in a way worked to his advantage. He was not bound by technical elements – and that possibly helped his art flourish in a freer way.”

While Sri Lanka was far removed from the Salons of Paris where Modernism was making a huge impact, George and his fellow artists in the 43 Group were influenced by European movements.

“Modernism was a big factor in his development,” says Irina. “Sri Lankan art was developing in parallel with Modernism. Our research into the 43 Group showed that they were finding out about Modernism through things like articles in magazines.

“They did not see the Modernist paintings first hand, and so they were inventing their own Modernist traditions and that meant it was deeply rooted in their own cultural traditions of painting and they were also finding out about Modernism. It was an important mix.

“What they were doing was nothing short of revolutionary. There was a real quality and originality about the 43 Group’s work.”

George’s work has been brought back to life by the film and goes some way to helping bring George to a deservedly wider audience.

“His art and poetry were two forms of expressing his inner life,” adds Irina.

“His visual art, like his poetry, is full of thought, contemplation and his philosophy.”

* Babel to Abstraction: The Life of George Claessen is produced by Three Highgate Production in collaboration with George Claessen Estate and Lemkino Pictures.
The producers are currently organising screenings in north London cinemas for 2026.

• https://www.threehighgate.com/