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George Plante - Artist, and advertising creative director. George Plante was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on September 18th 1914. There he was educated at George Heriots School. Developing a strong interest in art, he went on to graduate from Edinburgh College of Art, later completing his creative education with a scholarship to the Contempora in Berlin. Returning to the UK, as Hitler rose to power in Germany, he worked as an illustrator for advertising and newspapers; before volunteering for the British Merchant Navy in which he served as a radio officer on tankers in the North Atlantic convoys. During this time he produced a series of paintings and drawings of "The Battle of the Atlantic" for the War Ministry. His paintings were also exhibited by the American - British Art Center in New York, and in the USSR. Many of his wartime art works are now held by the Imperial War Museum in London. After surviving a torpedo sinking, George was recruited by the British Political Intelligence unit in Cairo. There he collaborated with American military units on writing and illustrating intelligence and propaganda material. After the war George joined leading American advertising agency Young & Rubicam to open their first London office, and in particular to develop their art direction. Whilst working with Y&R he created, for Gibbs SR toothpaste, the first ever TV commercial shown on British TV. Subsequently he was approached by international advertising agency Lintas to become their International Creative Director responsible for creative thinking and performance in forty offices in thirty two countries. During this time he became a leading consultant on the introduction of colour to TV advertising in the UK and Australia. More than twenty years with Lintas provided many opportunities to travel the world. On these frequent trips he always took a sketch book and paints, developing his unique style reflecting people, places, and interesting things that caught his creative eye. In the Middle East he was commissioned by Caltex to produce paintings of Bahrain, and the oilfields. Whilst living in London George was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the Society of Industrial Artists, and president of the advertising "Creative Circle". He exhibited with the Royal Society of Marine Artists, the Walker Gallery in New Bond Street, the Hampstead Arts Center, and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. In the mid 70's George retired from the pressure of the advertising world to concentrate fully on his first love of art. Moving to Hilton Head in South Carolina, he soon established a high reputation in the American art world. There his painting reflected colourful international travel experiences, and also the beauty of the South Carolina low country. His works were regularly on show at the Red Piano Gallery, Hilton Head; he was a leading member of the artists group; and completed several commissions for major local events. George Plante was very proud of his Scottish birth, upbringing and education. But the USA became a major influence on his life through the War, business, personal friends, and his second marriage. He lived there for about twenty years and became a US citizen shortly before he passed away with leukaemia in 1995 at the age of 81 years.