Sir Claude Hotchin OBE (7 March 1898 – 3 June 1977) was a businessman and art dealer, patron and benefactor in Western Australia.
After leaving Broken Hill's Burke Ward school, he worked for a few years as a junior clerk at the Town Hall and moved to Adelaide in 1914[1] or perhaps 1915,[2] and found work as "oil boy" (paint technician), messenger and shop boy in the hardware store of Clarkson Ltd, 124–126 Rundle Street, Adelaide, which specialised in glass, paint and ceramic lavatory ware.
[3] On 4 June 1925 he and his newly-wed wife, a daughter of the business owner Albert Edward Clarkson ( – ca.25 April 1936), moved to Perth as sales manager of the firm's Murray Street branch[4] (previously Sedgwick Ltd.).
[8][9] Hotchin had always enjoyed visits to art galleries and early resolved to purchase as many Australian paintings as he could afford.
[11] In 1950 he inaugurated the Claude Hotchin Silver Shield to be awarded annually for the business which best decorated its premises for the National Flower Day, held in September.
[14] The Royal Perth Hospital Art Collection, is the largest such in Australia and consists of more than 1000 paintings, drawings, and other works, by artists such as Rupert Bunny, Sir Arthur Streeton, Norman Lindsay, Arthur Boyd, Kathleen O'Connor, Albert Namatjira, Charles Blackman, Jeffrey Smart, Howard Taylor, Robert Juniper, Guy Grey-Smith, Rover Thomas, Theo Koning, Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, Julie Dowling and Max Pam, displayed at both the Wellington Street and Shenton Park campuses, a large proportion of which was contributed by Hotchin.
[15] In 1949 he donated the winning canvas in his 1948 competition, entitled "East of the City" and painted by Ernest Philpot, and in 1950 two works by Kathleen O'Connor and Robert Campbell.
The total number of works gifted to the Shire is 57, with most being permanently displayed at the Mount Barker Public Library.
It remains a testament to Hotchin's vision in bringing such quality artworks to the people of regional Western Australia.
The artists represented were:[22] In 1952 Hotchin presented 33 Australian original works of art to the people of Northam.
The successful artists were: Hotchin's had an idealistic attitude to women[26] which with today's sensibilities may appear patronising, but there is no doubt about his even-handedness in dealing with woman painters.
Among those whom he exhibited prominently were: Portia Bennett,[27] Irene Carter, Ellen Chappell,[28] Julie Dowling, Elizabeth Durack, Iris Francis,[27] Ella Fry,[29] Audrey Greenhalgh,[30] Dorothy Hanton,[28] Katherine "Kath" Jarvis,[27] Kathleen O'Connor,[31] Ethel Sanders,[29][32] Margaret Saunders, Ailsa Small Hotchin was an active member of the Methodist Church and lay preacher of the Congregational Church,[33] He was a member from 1930, and for many years Hon.
Hotchin was a tall man, impressive and charming, "one of the finest looking and sartorially perfect men in Perth"[38] and an accomplished public speaker.
He died on 3 June 1977 in Albany, Western Australia and was buried in the nearby Allambie Park cemetery.