The Yellow House, was one of Australia's most colourful contributions to the hippy / psychedelic era of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It opened to the public on April's Fools Day 1970.

The Powerhouse Museum holds a reconstructed Yellow House puppet theatre, along with an original puppet storage chest, photographs, artworks and other material relating to the puppet theatre created for the Yellow House between 1969-1970. Together, these puppets and artworks were used and seen on a daily basis in the Yellow House Puppet Theatre, Stone Room and other areas of this artist residence, gallery and live performance space during it's heyday from 1970 through to 1971. The Magritte-inspired surrealist ceramics were used as props while the artworks hung on the outer walls of the Theatre.

The puppet plays were written and/or presented by George Gittoes. They include both ancient works based on classical Greek and Persian mythology and contemporary plays (eg Eugène Ionesco), and a suite of puppet plays on the story of the wives of great artists eg Mondrian's [wife], Picasso's wife Olga Khokhlova with son Paolo, and Albert Tucker's wife Joy Hester, who like Gittoes' girlfriend had tragically committed suicide.

Importantly, the puppet plays reflect Gittoes emerging interest in tragedy and conflict and his deep rooted interest in Greek and Persian mythology. Today George Gittoes is a leading and international award winning Australian documentary filmmaker.

Anne-Marie Van de Ven, Curator 2008

A leaflet was printed as a catalogue to accompany the etchings when they were exhibted at the Josef Lebovic Gallery in 1990. In this leaflet George Gittoes:

The inspiration for this etching comes from a dream. George Gittoes recounted this dream in the preface to his novel 'The Romances' :

"Saw N.Y. put down as blocks then aged copper green-blackish skyscrapers on shaddowed whitish snow. I was very high up or like over a table little fluffy things with legs new born being blown across the snow they could have been mindless, they were very sensitive reminding me a bit of baby crabs the were all different one of the biggest was like a ball of hair they grew into different heights the skyscrapers...."

Etching, 'The Skyscrapers', number 5 of 24 in Hotel Kennedy suite of etchings, paper, made and designed by George Gittoes, initial design drawings made in New York, United States of America, 1968-1971, etchings made Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1971

Black ink on white paper, image of a large headed human sitting on a pile of human skeletons and holding a group of skyscrapers on the palm of his hand. In the background are more skyscrapers. Rocks rain down from above.

Made: Gittoes, George; Sydney, New South Wales; 1968 - 1971

: New York, USA

: Gittoes, Joyce; Sydney, New South Wales

Front hand written - '8/40 The Skyscrapers George Gittoes 71'
Front stamped - 'GRIFFITH / STUDIO'

2009/68/1-14/5

1968 - 1971

360 MM

360 MM