Tag Archives: Guy the Gorilla

1978 – painting Guy the Gorilla

Original painting by Peter Bright .

Title: 1978

Media: Painting and Screen Print on canvas, signed.

Size: 600mm x 500mm

Includes original 1970’s frame. £285.85

Buy here…

ARTIST + S T A T E M E N T …

Guy the Gorilla (May 30, 1946 – 1978) was a Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) which was London Zoo‘s famous resident, something of a celebrity in the 1960s–70s and was often profiled on kids TV shows and natural history productions. Guy the Gorilla was one of London Zoo’s best-loved animals.He arrived at the zoo on 5 November 1947,  Guy Fawkes Night, hence his name. He was a tiny baby, weighing just 23 lb (10 kg) and holding a small tin hot-water bottle.

Guy was the replacement for the zoo’s previous gorilla, Meng, who died in 1941. Guy was captured in the French Cameroons on behalf of Paris Zoo and was traded for a tiger from Calcutta Zoo. It was organized that London Zoo would have Guy. The Paris Zoo Director sent instructions to their game department in West Africa to find a suitable female to mate with him.London sent a request to a variety of animal dealers and zoos worldwide to find a mate, and in 1969 the zoo was offered Lomie, a five year old female who had been living in nearby Chessington Zoo. She lived in the old Monkey House in London Zoo for a year before being introduced to Guy.