Leonard French, Australian painter and stained glass window designer, Died at 88

  Artists

Leonard William French was born October 8, 1928, in Brunswick, Victoria and died on January 10, 2017.

He was an Australian artist.

French was known principally for major stained glass works.

He was raised in a family of Cornish origin.

French’s stained glass creations include a series of panels in the cafe and foyer of the National Library of Australia in Canberra, and a stained glass ceiling for the great hall at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, which is one of the largest in the world.

A well-known piece of work French created was in seven panels, The Legend of Sinbad the Sailor, in 1956.

Which was hung in the Legend Cafe in Melbourne.

During the year 1987, French completed a major commission for the Haileybury Chapel in Melbourne, including dozens of stained glass mosaic windows of varying shapes and sizes and a large reredos.

His work has been the subject of over 40 solo exhibitions in Australia and been part of many group exhibitions outside Australia.

Just before his death in early 2017 French resided in and painted in his studio in Heathcote, Victoria.

Leonard was married three times and has seven children and five grandchildren.

Leonard William French passed away at 88 years old.