Sir Claude Hotchin
Although never having lived in Katanning, Sir Claude Hotchin was a major benefactor to the people of Katanning. 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. It was in his role as the latter that he bequeathed 24 pieces of original Australian artworks, by Australian artists, to the people of Katanning through the Katanning Road Board.
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Hotchin Gift to Katanning
24 PAINTINGS PRESENTED
Great Southern Herald
8 December 1950 – p1
The Katanning Road Board has received a gift of 24 works of art, all original oil paintings and watercolours, on behalf of the people of the town and district from Mr Claude Hotchin. The paintings have been hung in the upstairs foyer of the Katanning Town Hall and the donor is to attend an official handing-over ceremony in the near future.
Mr. Claude Hotchin, who is a member of the Arts Council of Australia, a trustee of the Perth National Gallery and W.A. chairman of the Arts Section of the Commonwealth Jubilee celebrations has made a personal gift of 24 original oil paintings and watercolours to the people of Katanning and district.
His aim is to encourage art and culture generally in Western Australia and to enable those people living away from the big cities to enjoy art in their own districts. Mr. Hotchin also hopes the presentation of the nucleus of an art gallery in Katanning will enhance the appreciation of art and the building up of local galleries and the interchange of pictures.
The works of art, presented by Mr. Hotchin, are from the brushes of Australian artists, a number of whom are West Australians, and the pictures are all good examples of each artist’s work. The names of the artists are Max Ragless, Dudley Parker, Verners Linde, Allen Cook, Kathleen O’Connor, Leach Barker, Cyril Lander, Gordon Esling, Rolf Harris, Dorothy Hanton, James Goatcher, J. M. Gilmour, W. Spence, Thomas H. Bone, George Benson, Ernest Philpot, Tom Garrett, Leith Angelo, Edwin Pareroultja (the noted aboriginal artist), Marshall Clifton, John. B. Godson, Robert Campbell, P. Ivor Hunt, and V. R. Watt.
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION
Although the paintings were hung last week, and have already attracted most appreciative comments, the Katanning Road Board is to arrange a public function in the near future when Mr. Hotchin will be present to officially hand over the collection to the town. Details of the function will be announced as soon as possible.
KATANNING ART GALLERY
HANDING OVER TO BE JUBILEE CELEBRATION
Great Southern Herald
26 January 1951 – P2
At its last meeting, the Katanning Road Board received advice from Mr. Claude Hotchin concerning the Australian artist represented among the twenty-four original paintings presented to the people of Katanning. Mr. Hotchin made enquiries as to when the official ceremony would be held, at which he would formally present the paintings to the town. He expressed great pleasure that the ceremony should take place this year as the gift of paintings would become a Jubilee celebration. The Board decided that arrangements would be made to have the ceremony performed as soon as possible, and that the matter would be placed in the hands of the Jubilee Committee.
ARTISTS REPRESENTED
“The Wool Team,” by Max Ragless of South Australia.
Max Ragless is in the forefront of the younger Australian artists, and his brilliant and vigorous work has won him many laurels. Mr. Ragless is practically self-taught, but has many admirers of his fine work, which is up amongst the top-ranking artists in Australia today. Max Ragless has his picture hanging in most of the important Australian Art Galleries, including our own Perth Art Gallery. This artist is looked upon as a man of great promise and is definitely a leader in his age group in Australian Art to-day.
“The Road to Jamberoo,” by Dudley Parker of New South Wales.
Dudley Parker is a man of outstanding ability in his art. Early in life he was fortunate to be able to have amongst the contacts he made in his father’s business in Sydney, such famous Australian artists as the late Sir Arthur Streeton, Elioth Gruner, Fred McCubbin and Hilder; these great men noted the young man’s desire to become and artist an often looked at his work and advised him from time to time. It is little wonder that his art is finding it way to the top in the art world amongst the artists around about his age. His work is sought after very much and thought highly of all over Australia today.
“The Bridge at the Murrumbidgee,” by Verners Linde of South Australia.
Verners Linde is a New Australian and a very good one too. On arrival in Australia, he went with many other New Australians to the Northam receiving camp and it was in W.A. that we first learned of his remarkable ability as an artist. He comes to Australia with a brilliant record as an artist, his work having found its way into some of the Art Galleries in Europe. Much of his work has been copied and sold throughout Europe as prints.
Not long after his arrival here, he did some notable murals at the Northam camp and when the Commonwealth Government heard this they sent for him to come to Canberra to carry out some very important work over there. There is no doubt that we shall, in the future of art in Australia, hear much about this clever and noted artist.
“The Old Barn,” by Allon Cook of Western Australia.
Allon Cook is one of Western Australia’s most promising artists. His work becoming known as far away as Brisbane. Allon Cook recently won the Claude Hotchin Art Prize for 1950 with his oil colour “Bindoon Valley.” This artist’s work has found its way into several Art Galleries and will no doubt find its way into many more. As an artist, his work is very popular in Western Australia.
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HOTCHIN, Sir Claude (1898 – 1977)
by Janda Gooding
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Portrait by
Elizabeth Blair Barber
(Australian, 1909–2000)
Sir Claude Hotchin (1898-1977), businessman and art benefactor, was born on 7 March 1898 at Quorn, South Australia, son of Robert John Hotchin, butcher, and his wife Bertha Mary, née Brown, a tailoress. In 1905 the family moved to Broken Hill, New South Wales. When his father died in 1909, Claude was granted special permission to leave the local school and start work. 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. Continue reading
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