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George Claessen: Babel to Abstraction George Claessen (1909-1999) Source:Sundayobserver George Claessen: Babel to Abstraction marks a major retrospective exhibition of the renowned late artist George Claessen’s multifaceted work, the first presentation of his work in London for 18 years. Presented by London gallery Three Highgate, which is in the vicinity where Claessen himself lived and worked, the works on show span over 70 years and reflect his extraordinary career as an artist and his commitment to abstraction, stating “Every hue and nuance from a prism comes.” Born in Sri Lanka and later moving to London in 1949 where he lived for the rest of his life, George Claessen (1909-99) was a self-taught artist and poet whose art was characterised by his mystical outlook and beliefs. As the British Empire crumbled, Claessen’s painting and poetry can be regarded as a headlong flight from the devastating destruction of nationalism and colonialism. ...