Alan Moore

Alan Moore (1 August191424 September 2015) was an Australian war artist during World War II. He is best known for his images of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and the Australian War Memorial holds many of his works.

Early life

Moore was born in Melbourne in 1914. He began life drawing art classes at age 16, but was forbidden by his father from continuing because the subjects were nude. He took up his studies again when he turned 18, at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School, this time completing his studies to obtain a degree. He also studied under J.S. Watkins in Sydney.

He won several art and drawing prizes in Melbourne,

On 14 July 1939 Moore married this first wife, Maria.

Moore's first deployment as an artist was with the RAAF in Papua New Guinea in early 1944. His earlier watercolour paintings, made in Milne Bay and Goodenough Island, were destroyed by wet weather and humidity; he subsequently changed to working with oils, which were more suitable for the tropical environment.

During his time in Papua New Guinea he flew in several bombing raids to make sketches from the air.

Towards the end of World War II, he recorded war scenes from Papua New Guinea, the Middle East, Italy, England and Germany.

In 1945 Moore accompanied the British 11th Armoured Division when they liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany.

After the war

After the war Moore spent some years in Europe. In 201314 the Belsen images formed the basis of a year-long exhibition at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, which Moore himself visited at the invitation of the Memorial. the War Memorial holds more than 200 of his works.