Wallace Anderson

Anderson was born in Dean, Victoria, third child and twin son of [[William Anderson (Victorian politician, born 1853)|

William Anderson, MLA]] and his wife Helen Glover, née Naples. He was educated at Geelong College and Gordon Technical College, taking art classes part-time with J. R. Tranthim-Fryer (died 13 July 1928){{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243941486 |title=Swinburne's First Director Dead |newspaper=The Herald (Melbourne) |issue=15,960 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=13 July 1928 |access-date=10 June 2023 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}} and Charles Richardson, later conducting classes himself.

Anderson enlisted with the First AIF in June 1915. His elder brother, Albert Naples Anderson, enlisted in December 1914, fought at Gallipoli and was wounded at Lone Pine. He was repatriated, then in January 1917 re-enlisted with the 8th Light Horse in Egypt and was killed in action in April 1917.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1614698 |title=Australians Abroad |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=22,077 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=2 May 1917 |access-date=10 June 2023 |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Anderson served in France as a lieutenant in the 23rd Battalion, and in 1918 was attached to the Australian War Records Section, London, along with sculptors W. Leslie Bowles and C. Web Gilbert, and toured battlefields in France, Egypt and Palestine, making sketches and notes for later reference.

In 1920 he returned to Melbourne, working for the Australian War Museum, Canberra, producing the intricate figures for several of the battlefield dioramas, then from 1930 was engaged in work for other clients. Well-known public pieces include:

• Bronze frieze on memorial stone (1930) at Ararat{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202466224 |title=The War Memorial, Ararat |newspaper=The Age |issue=23504 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=8 August 1930 |access-date=10 June 2023 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}
• "The Man and His Donkey" (1936), elsewhere named as John Simpson Kirkpatrick at the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11881057 |title="Man with the Donkey" |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=27,918 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=11 February 1936 |access-date=10 June 2023 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}
• "King George V" (1937), in Geelong{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49262055 |title=Theft of Crown |newspaper=The Barrier Miner |volume=LXVI |issue=17,442 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=30 April 1953 |access-date=10 June 2023 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}} It was found a week later and two 17-year-old youths were charged.
• Series of nine busts of Australian prime ministers, in the Botanic Gardens, Ballarat.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22229715 |title=Prime Ministers' Avenue At Ballarat |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=31,039 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=22 February 1946 |access-date=10 June 2023 |page=24 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Anderson was a member of the Australian Academy of Art, Australian Sculptors' Society, Victorian Artists Society, and the Victorian Sculptors' Society, and exhibited regularly.

Anderson married Gladys Ada Andrews (died 25 September 1952) on 6 May 1916.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142994380 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=The Australasian |volume=C |issue=2,620 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=17 June 1916 |access-date=10 June 2023 |page=57 |via=National Library of Australia}}

They had a son Rod Anderson and daughters Lucie Cleary and Joy Bleakley.

• Australian official war artists

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Category:1888 births

Category:1975 deaths

Category:20th-century Australian sculptors

Category:Australian male sculptors