Claude Hotchin

Sir Claude Hotchin (1898 – 1977) businessman and art benefactor
Claude Hotchin was an active supporter of the Methodist Church. He belonged to the Perth Rotary Club and was a founding member of the Crippled Children’s Society of Western Australia. He was a member of the board of trustees of the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia and chairman of the board of the Art Gallery.

Sir Claude Hotchin, businessman and art benefactor, was born on 7 March 1898 at Quorn, South Australia.

Moving to Adelaide at the age of 15, he obtained a job in Clarkson Ltd’s hardware store. On 4 April 1925 at the Pirie Street Methodist Church he married Doris May Clarkson, the daughter of his employer. Next day the couple moved to Perth to help manage a branch of the firm. After a fire gutted the store in 1932, Hotchin and the co-manager bought the goodwill and name of Clarksons (W.A.) Ltd. In 1940 he became sole manager of the business. The postwar building boom contributed to the success of the company: in 1950 he was able to sell his interests and retire from working life.

Hotchin was important as an art collector and benefactor of public galleries in Western Australia. Believing that ‘good pictures are things of beauty and character, naturally they have an influence for good when youth is surrounded by them’, he had begun to buy paintings in 1937.

Between 1948 and 1977 Hotchin donated an estimated two thousand original paintings to galleries, hospitals and shire councils throughout the State in an effort to ‘stimulate art appreciation’. Royal Perth Hospital and the University of Western Australia were major recipients, and, in 1972, the Art Gallery of Western Australia received an initial bequest of $10,000 with which it established the Sir Claude Hotchin Art Foundation.

An active supporter of the Methodist Church, Hotchin belonged to the Perth Rotary Club (from 1930) and was a founding member (1938) of the Crippled Children’s Society of Western Australia. He was a member (1947-64) of the board of trustees of the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia and chairman (1960-64) of the board of the Art Gallery.

Sir Claude was a tall, impressive and charming man, with a flair for public speaking. He lived at Chartwell, Mundaring, and his recreations included poetry, golf, swimming, motoring and gardening.

Complete article : http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A140568b.htm

The Royal Perth Hospital Art Collection
The Royal Perth Hospital Art Collection is the largest Hospital collection in Australia and covers more than 100 years of artistic practice. Over 1000 paintings, drawings, and wall based sculptural works are displayed throughout the hospital on the Wellington Street and Shenton Park campuses.

Among the most recognised pieces that make up the collection are works by Rupert Bunny, Sir Arthur Streeton, Norman Lindsay, Arthur Boyd, Kathleen O’Connor, Albert Namatjira, Charles Blackman and Jeffrey Smart, Howard Taylor, Robert Juniper, Guy Grey-Smith, Rover Thomas, Theo Koning, Ronnie Tjampatjimpa, Julie Dowling and Max Pam.

The collection was established in 1954 by art collector Sir Claude Hotchin OBE, who believed that the public should have the opportunity to engage with art in their everyday lives – outside usual art galleries. By 1977, Sir Claude’s belief in art as an important means of public communication saw the collection grow to over 500 works. The Sir Claude Hotchin Art Collection has continued to grow over the years, thanks to numerous supporters, collectors, patients and artists who have continued to donate work.

Complete article : http://www.rph.wa.gov.au/art.html

The City of Bunbury Art Collection
In 1993 the City of Bunbury’s Collection Committee established the Bunbury Biennale, initiating a means of purchasing contemporary works of excellence for inclusion in their permanent collection, by artists of significance to Western Australia and the South West. It is a means of expanding the existing collection based on 22 works of art donated to the City in 1948 by the late Sir Claude Hotchin. The exhibition also ensures that the Bunbury Community has access to quality art and broadens the context in which WA art can be viewed and assessed.

Complete article : http://www.artseeninwa.com/bunbury.html

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