Alan Moir b. 1948

  • Artist (Cartoonist / Illustrator)
Prolific contemporary New Zealand-born, Sydney-based newspaper cartoonist. Moir won the inaugural Stanley Award for Artist of the Year in 1985. He joined the Sydney Morning Herald in 1984 as their political cartoonist where he still works today.
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cartoonist, was born in New Zealand. He gained a BFA from Auckland University. Early in 1973 he stopped over at Sydney en route to Britain and began contributing to the Bulletin (Rolfe illustrates a 1978 cartoon, p.302). After working on the Brisbane Courier Mail (QAG ink original on duotone card, A Century of Modern Art 1980), he became political cartoonist on the Sydney Morning Herald in 1984 after George Molnar resigned and still does the daily editorial cartoon. Examples include NSW Justice System 9 September 1986 [judges all scratching one another’s backs] (ill. Christine Dixon), and “We Gave Last Time” (Aboriginal couple responding to Bicentennial Reenactment Funding Appeal) 1987 (no original located).

Moir won the inaugural Stanley Award for Artist of the Year in 1985 and for best Editorial/Political Cartoonist in 1988-91 (etc.?). By the end of 1988 he had published eight cartoon anthologies and was the Australasian contributor to C.& W. Syndicate’s Views of the World , a weekly round-up of worldwide editorial cartoons from newspapers in the USA, Canada, Europe and the Far East (Grant 1988). He received a print media citation in the 1991 United Nations’ Associated Media Peace Awards (see SMH 20 September 1991, 7). 'One Notion’ (on Pauline Hanson), 'Advantages of Cloning’ (on Senator Colston) and 'Black Man’s Burden’ (re: Aborigines), published SMH on 7 March 1997 and 8 November 1996, were exhibited in the National Museum of Australia’s exhibition at Old Parliament House, Bringing the House Down: 12 Months of Australian Political Humour (Canberra, 1997), cats 51, 72, 95. His comment on Mabo (PXE 741, f.51) was an Aboriginal man in a waiting room while miners, farmers etc. fight offstage at 'Panic Conference No.5’: [receptionist] “Been waiting long?”/ [Aboriginal man] “200 years”. He also had three cartoons in Bringing the House Down 2001 .

Moir married Diana in November 1994. He was awarded a Churchill Fellowship for 1999 to study the influence of Australian and New Zealand artists on British cartooning ( Sydney Morning Herald , 10 August 1998).

Writers:
Kerr, Joan
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007

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References [<ExternalResource: Moir, Alan (c.1987), 'David and the Goliaths'.>, <ExternalResource: Moir, Alan, 'Smile, It's Joh's Place'.>, <ExternalResource: Moir, Alan (co-authored and illustrated), 'Joh's Family Album : Flo Goes to Canberra'.>, <ExternalResource: Adams, Phillip (1986), 'Arrest that Cartoonist!', Ringwood, Vic : Penguin.>, <ExternalResource: Grant, Ian F. (1987), 'The Unauthorised Version : a cartoon history of New Zealand', Auckland, NZ : David Bateman (in association with Fraser Books) (2nd edition).>, <ExternalResource: Grant, Ian F. (1989), 'Drawing the Line : Cartoons across the Tasman: an exhibition of work by New Zealand cartoonists', Wellington, NZ : Ministry of External Relations and Trade, p 48.>, <ExternalResource: Judd, Craig (1999), 'Australians in black & white : (the most public art)', Sydney, NSW : State Library of New South Wales.>, <ExternalResource: Moir, Alan (1984), 'Rome Rules No.II', St Kilda West, Vic : Orin Books.>, <ExternalResource: Sydney, NSW : Sydney Morning Herald.>, <ExternalResource: (1986), 'Australian Black and White Artists Club book of originals', Sydney, NSW : Australian Black and White Artists Club / Art Gallery of New South Wales (178.1988.1-102).>, <ExternalResource: Turner, Ann (ed.) (2000), 'In Their Image', Canberra, ACT : National Library of Australia.>, <ExternalResource: Turner, Ann, 'Oral History interviews', Canberra, ACT : National Library of Australia.>, <ExternalResource: Grant, Ian F. (1988), 'The Kiwi invasion that never stopped', Sydney, NSW : Bulletin, 11-15, p 114.>, <ExternalResource: Hansen, Guy (2005), '[Cartoons 2004] : Behind the lines : The year's best cartoons', Canberra, ACT : National Museum of Australia.>, <ExternalResource: Radcliffe, Russ (ed.) (2003), 'Best Australian political cartoons 2003', Melbourne, Vic : Scribe.>, <ExternalResource: Radcliffe, Russ (ed.) (2004), 'Best Australian political cartoons 2004', Melbourne, Vic : Scribe.>, <ExternalResource: Radcliffe, Russ (ed.) (2005), 'Best Australian political cartoons 2005', Melbourne, Vic : Scribe.>, <ExternalResource: Alexander, Harriet (2006), 'Courage and dignity shine at awards', Sydney, NSW : Sydney Morning Herald, 12-01, p 2.>] [<ExternalResource: Moir, Alan (c.1987), 'David and the Goliaths'.>, <ExternalResource: Moir, Alan, 'Smile, It's Joh's Place'.>, <ExternalResource: Moir, Alan (co-authored and illustrated), 'Joh's Family Album : Flo Goes to Canberra'.>]