George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Playwright

Sitter in 134 portraits
Artist associated with 8 portraits
Playwright; one of the literary giants of the modern period, whose writings span a vast spectrum of subjects and ideas; an active Fabian socialist, Shaw's influence was felt in politics and society at large; during the eighties and nineties he wrote important musical and dramatic criticism, introduced the British public to the work of Ibsen, and wrote some of his best plays. Successful seasons at the Royal Court Theatre (1904-7) established Shaw's reputation and many of his plays, including Majora Barbara (1905) and Pygmalion (1914) later reached wider audiences as popular films. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925.