b"5The Joseph Greenberg CollectionJoseph Greenberg was born in Richmond, an inner Eastern suburb of Melbourne in 1923. His family, having escaped the anti-semitism of Eastern Europe in the early 20th century, had established a shoe factory and shop in Bridge Road and Joe went to the local school, eventually enrolling at Swinburne Tech where he studied graphic design under Sir William Dargie (1940-41) and Roger James (1945-47). Having reached the age of 18, Greenberg enlisted in the Australian Army in December 1942 and served with B Company, 2/6 Field Ambulance. (The Australian War Memorial, Canberra holds his army diaries in which he recorded details of action in New Guinea and New Britain in 1944-1945. Other AWM records comprise poems and short stories written by Greenberg during his military service. His cartoons were used in 'Salt', the 6th Brigade newspaper and for 'Khaki and Green', the Army Christmas Book.). One of his fellow315students at Swinburne was Ray Crooke, with whom he maintained a life-long close friendship. A designers group was formed, presumably over good After the war, Greenberg returned to study at Swinburnelunches at such cafes, called the Society of the Ambulant on a Commonwealth Reconstruction Training SchemeCheese, which later grew into the Art Directors Society. award and on completion, in 1947, he landed a job withThere were seven original members including Greenberg, the Herald & Weekly Times group. In 1949 he drewmost of whom were freelance commercial artists political cartoons for the left-wing Guardian newspaper,who met for social and professional reasons, including taking over in that role from Noel Counihan. Greenbergdetails such as working out how much to charge clients. participated in the rich creative life of Melbourne thatMembers who met at The Art Directors Cafe included began to flourish after the war. Australias leadingRichard Beck, Patrick Russell, Eric Maguire, Owen architect critic and cultural theorist of the post warFoulkes, Don Nelson and Roy Burs.period, Robin Boyd, designed his first home. He attendedGreenberg exhibited as an artist in the Dunlop Third the New Theatre in Flinders Street, which put on left- Annual Australian Art Contest in 1952 alongside John wing plays and attended screenings of Italian films inLoxton, Murray Griffin, Arthur Boyd, Louis Kahan, Jock cinemas throughout the city. He recalled the growth ofFrater and John Passmore. He also exhibited in the 1956 Melbournes European- style cafes and restaurants withMelbourne Olympic Games Art Show.great pleasure. The Art Directors Cafe and Pelligrinis in Bourke Street were favoured designers haunts. JoeAfter the excitement of Melbournes 1956 Olympics had moved to Womans Day magazine in 1949, executingpassed, Greenberg left Australia to work in New York, covers, advertisements, articles and fiction. London and Norway from 1957 to 1970 as a creative director in advertising agencies. Reflecting upon his life and practice, Greenberg felt the Australianness of the 1950s sought by Douglas Annand (commercial art) Francis Burke (textile design) and Fred Ward (furniture design) had become hard to discern (Greenberg 1994). Returning to Australia in 1970 he worked as an Art Director, Illustrator, Cartoonist and Painter. Later, in the 1970s, he created posters for the V.F.L. and the South Australian and Western Australian football leagues. He was commissioned, by Toyota, to create an action painting of Evonne Cawley for the Australian Tennis Championship as well as other famous tennis players, those paintings being acquired by the Tennis International Hall of Fame at Newport Rhode Island. In the 1990s the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra acquired a collection of Greenbergs caricatures of Australian Corporate Cowboys of the 1980s-90s (which had previously been published in Business Review Weekly). His paintings are also to be found in the collection of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.To the history of graphic design in Australia, Greenbergs own name needs to be added to the list of designers who helped define the look of modern Australia and expressed its values through his lively illustrations and innovative layouts, some of which can be seen in the permanent collection at Swinburne, where he became a member of staff, and some of his posters which are included in the present catalogue.Part 208"