Page 1 of 1

Sir George Pollock HonFRPS, FRSA

Posted: Wed 08 Jun 2016, 16:59
by toms
Sir George Pollock HonFRPS, FRSA (1928-2016)

It is with regret that I have to inform the membership of the death of Sir George Pollock aged 89 a well-respected life member.

The Council meeting on 28th May 1963 elected to membership G. F. Pollock, Chairman of Dorking Camera Club who was to be instrumental in the next 10 years in bringing Croydon into the main stream of Continental Photography via Photeurop, and by example put Croydon in the forefront of contemporary photography. The notoriety and prestige encouraged the development of abstract and audio-visual techniques which took Sir George Pollock (as he became) to the Presidency of the RPS and later of the Central Association. In addition, he was a vice-president of our club and has been an honorary member for some time.

His wife Lady Doreen Pollock was a Fellow of the RPS, and also FRSA, MPAGB and EFIAP. Both she and Sir George were the first two people to become Masters of the PAGB in Audio-Visual. Lady Doreen died in October 2012 aged 95.

Whilst at Croydon Camera Club Sir George and several other members formed a splinter group which was called Photogroup 7 (often referred to as Group 7), who went on to exhibit their images at the Modfot One exhibition in 1968.

In 2012, Roy Hammans (RH) interviewed Sir George Pollock (GP) about Modfot One and following is a brief extract from that interview which explains events at the time: -

RH: I am interested to know more about PhotoGroup7, how it came to be formed, who was involved, and what it set out to do that led to the Modfot One exhibition.

GP: Photogroup 7 consisted of, originally seven, members of the Croydon Camera Club, which in the early sixties was the liveliest and most progressive club in the Home Counties. We were not rebels, we just wanted something more than the club could give, and we all remained active members of the Croydon Camera Club.

The purpose of Group 7 was to have an intimate forum for very free discussion on any photographic topic that caught our fancy, and to try out new ideas, away from the inevitable restrictions of club judging. The most vocal member, and really our leader, was the late Alan Richards, a professional portrait and animal/pet photographer, who eventually gained RPS Fellowships in three categories, a rare achievement. His creative and contemporary photography was very good, and he was the key figure in the Group.

Photogroup 7 was small and had no organisation – très bohémien! We simply met in one another’s houses and showed work and talked. No funding was required. We were all profoundly impressed by a splendid exhibition of modern photography called Camera 65 shown in the Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne. This was organised by the curator, David Galer, who had been in charge of the Upper Whitechapel Gallery. The idea of mounting a big exhibition only occurred to us when we discovered that this show would not be repeated……

…… This was an open international exhibition (Modfot One) of modern European photography, originally organised by three clubs: Val de Bièvre (Versailles), Germinal of Brussels, and the P.C of Lausanne. I was able to persuade the Croydon Camera Club to become the British end, and the first British showing was opened in the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, by Lord Goodman in 1968).

Source: http://www.fine-photographs.co.uk/index ... modfot-one
where you can read more about Sir George and Modfot One.

Sir George Frederick Pollock was, as previously mentioned, a leading exponent of audio-visual work, an accomplished art photographer and a past President of the Royal Photographic Society. He joined the RPS in 1962, gained his Associate in 1963 and Fellowship in 1965. He was one of the Society’s more active and important Presidents during his two-year term. Alongside his wife, Lady Doreen, he was a leading producer of audio-visual work and a key figure within British photography for many years.

It was with the Royal Photographic Society that he devoted most of his time. He gained two Fellowships (1965, 1993). He sat on the Society’s Council from 1969 until 1994 and served as the Society’s President (1978-1980). He received a Fenton Medal for his services to the Society in 1984.

Source: http://www.rps.org/news/2016/june/sir-george-pollock

Tom Sherrin
Chairman
Croydon Camera Club