City of Busselton Art Collection
Like many regional collections in Western Australia, the City of Busselton art collection began with a gift of Australian paintings and drawings from philanthropist and businessman Sir Claude Hotchin.
An avid collector and gallery-owner, Hotchin gifted works from his own collection and annual art prize to many regional communities so that their residents could have access to high-quality artworks.
In 1962 Busselton received 30 paintings and drawings from, including works by renowned Australian artists Kathleen O’Connor, Guy Grey-Smith and Robert Juniper.
The City collection now holds over 100 works, including a fine collection of woodblock prints by Japanese master printmaker Hiroshi Tomihari (b.1936). This gift arose through the establishment of a sister-city relationship between Busselton and Sugito in 1996.
In recent years the collection has grown through the acquisition of contemporary Western Australian art from the annual City of Busselton Art Award (formerly known as Signature South West established in 2008). Launched in 2008 to build a collection of contemporary Western Australian art, this annual event now attracts artists from across State contending for a first prize of $10,000 and a solo exhibition in the ArtGeo Gallery.