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History

The collection began with a bequest of 41 works to the City of Fremantle in 1958 when Claude Hotchin (1898 – 1977), an enthusiastic patron of the visual arts, donated paintings by Hans Heysen, Margaret Preston, Arthur Streeton, Rupert Bunny and other Australian artists. In 1978, the family of the famous WA Artist Kathleen O’Connor gave 43 works to the Collection.  Kathleen O’Connor (1876 – 1968) lived in Fremantle during her early life, and her father, the engineer CY O’Connor, has an enduring relationship with Fremantle in supervising the construction of the new Harbour.

The collection has an extensive holding of early works by sculptor Akio Makigawa, as a result of generous gifts made by him to the city collection between 1980/81before he left Western Australia for Melbourne in 1981. With the addition of a number of acquired pieces, the collection holds the largest body of Makigawa’s work in a public collection in Australia. In 1984 Dr Ian Berndt donated forty, eighteenth and nineteenth century Japanese woodblock prints and the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council granted thirteen works by eastern states artists from it’s collection to the Fremantle Arts Centre. Dr Douglas Kagi has also been a generous benefactor to the collection, with twelve works by Colin Lancely donated in 1988, which are all held in the collection today.

The City of Fremantle Art Collection today numbers over 1000 works, having grown with donations and acquisitions to include historical and contemporary artworks in a range of media - paintings, prints, drawings, ceramics, photographs and sculpture – mostly by Western Australian and Australian artists.

The collection’s early development was greatly influenced by Ian Templeman the inaugural Director of the Fremantle Arts Centre (1972 - 1989). He defined and promoted professionalism in arts development and an acquisition policy that primarily focused upon building a collection which captured a range of contemporary arts practice in Fremantle and Western Australia. As a result the collection holds a strong body Australian prints and Western Australian ceramics. Ian Templeman was responsible for establishing an ambitious exhibition and acquisition program. His efforts gave birth to the annual Fremantle Print Award in 1976, which has seen award winning prints go to the collection, and gave great impetus for creating a permanent home for the collection at the Fremantle Art Gallery.

Planned to replace the centre's ‘temporary home’ for the collection, the Fremantle Art Gallery opened in the State Shipping building located in Short Street in September 1978. The gallery program was administered by Fremantle Arts Centre as a ‘satellite’ venue coordinated with the regular artist in residence, workshop and community activities. The Fremantle Art Gallery continued to be managed by the Fremantle Arts Centre until 1987 when the venue was relinquished to Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.

The loss of an important venue for the visuals arts, ‘represented an end of an era’ for the Fremantle Arts Centre precipitating a decision to move the collection to 43 High Street, Fremantle, from where to continue the on-going exhibition program for a two year period. Following appointment of June Moorhouse as General Manager (1990), the collection function at the arts centre was consolidated with the opening of the Kathleen O’Connor Gallery, displaying works by the artist from the collection. Under new stewardship, the collection would benefit from increased print award sponsorship commitment and recognition of important Aboriginal practice and growth in new print forms and processes.
 
Today, the collection maintains a strong relevance to Fremantle artists and community, in the acquisition of works created by artists who live or work in Fremantle, or art which reflects or is inspired by activities in Fremantle. The collection also acquires works, which will build upon the strengths in its existing holdings of contemporary Australian prints and Western Australian ceramics.

Together, these artworks provide a range of artistic statements about Fremantle, contribute to Fremantle’s identity and provide a significant cultural resource for the community.