A Hollywood scenic artist who based his design for the Emerald City on Edinburgh Castle is to be commemorated with an exhibition.
George Gibson died in 2001 at the age of 96, but during his career he worked on Alfred Hitchcock thriller North by Northwest, and 1950s musicals Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris.
Born in 1904 in Tollcross, Edinburgh, George had a view of the castle from his childhood home - and used it as the inspiration for his first major production, The Wizard of Oz.
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The family moved to Moray, and it became apparent that George had a talent for art, and his parents encouraged him to pursue it.
George studied at Edinburgh College of Art and also Glasgow School of Art, but aged 26 upped sticks to America.
In the U.S he started working in theatres but while flicking through a magazine, a photo of California caught his eye and he decided to move - and found work in Hollywood.
He was the first scenic artist employed by film studio MGM, where he worked for 35 years until retiring in 1969.
The Edinburgh Evening News reported his work will be exhibited in Scotland for the first time at the Royal Conservatorire of Scotland in April.
Gibson began his scene-painting career at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow and some of the work set to be shown has been in storage for 80 years.
Gary Fry, scenic art lecturer with the RCS, said: “George Gibson was only 26 when he moved to America.
"He really wanted to work in theatre in New York, but the financial crash had just happened when he got there and the theatres were all dark.
"The story goes that he saw a picture of California in a magazine and decided to move there.
“Scenic art for films was very much a new industry at the time.
"Most films were shot outside, but the big studios couldn’t control the light or weather.
"MGM’s new scenic art department painted the backdrops for external scenes.
"George was the head of the scenic art workshop, working with the studio’s art director, Cedric Gibbons, and had about ten staff.
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"He was unheralded in Scotland, but was also unheralded in America, despite spending 35 years in the industry, but that was very much the nature of scenic art.
“It’s an invisible art form.
“If it’s done properly you don’t see it.”
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