George Campbell was born in County Wicklow, Ireland. During the Belfast Blitz he worked in an aircraft factory. It was at this time that Campbell discovered paintings. He would use the bomb-damage as his subject. As a founding member of the Irish Exhibition of Living Art in 1943 he also published a book with his brother, Arthur. Many Spaniards settled in Dublin and Campbell would use them as subjects in his paintings. He was so fascinated by the culture that he played the flamenco guitar and later moved to Spain in the 1950s. The Spanish government made him a Knight Commander of Spain, where he remained until his death in 1979.