Katherine Hattam is a multi award winning painter and printmaker whose works are held in most of Australia’s major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of NSW.
She has exhibited in over 20 solo shows and many more group shows and has won numerous art prizes including the Banyule and Robert Jacks drawing prizes.
In this conversation, Hattam begins by talking about the experience of growing up as the daughter of Melbourne art collectors and modern art patrons Hal and Kate Hattam. Hal Hattam was a gynaecologist and later a successful painter in his own right and Kate Hattam was once reported to be the ‘highest paid woman in Australia’ in her job as the advertising manager of the upmarket Melbourne department store Georges.
They held an extensive art collection of works of their artist friends which included Arthur Boyd, Fred Williams, John Brack, Clifton Pugh, Charles Blackman and Jan Senbergs. Portraits of her parents painted by Clifton Pugh and John Brack can be found in the National Portrait Gallery.
Hattam’s career initially focussed on drawing but her work eventually turned to painting and mixed media. In this interview she also talks about her techniques and preferred mediums, balancing motherhood and her art career and themes which arise in her paintings.
See below for a list of current and upcoming exhibitions and scroll down further for links to people and things we talked about in the show.
A video taken after this interview in March 2020 at Katherine’s exhibition at Sydney’s Arthouse Gallery can also be seen below.
Current and upcoming exhibitions:
- ‘Visiting Painting’ – Horsham Regional Art Gallery – 16 July to 11 September 2016, Horsham, Victoria
- ‘National Works on Paper’ – Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery – 16 July to 11 September 2016, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
- ’72 Derwents’ – solo show – Arthouse Gallery – 12 August 2016, Rushcutters Bay, Sydney, NSW
- Bruny Island Art Prize – Bruny Island Arts – 24 September – 2 October 2016, Bruny Island, Tasmania
- ‘Art of Parts’ – Art Gallery of NSW – 17 September – 13 November 2016, Sydney, NSW
Show notes: (links to people and things we talked about in the show)
- Katherine Hattam
- Portrait of Hal Hattam by Fred Williams
- Portrait of Kate Hattam by Clifton Pugh
- Fred Williams
- Charles Blackman
- John Perceval
- Arthur Boyd
- Jan Senbergs
The Integrity of the Personality, mixed media, (2014) Art Gallery of New South Wales
‘Today’ Mixed media on linen 198 x 110cm
‘Double Helix’ 120 x 240cm
‘Yellow Chair’ Lithograph, 73 x 50cm
‘Love On’ 2006, oil paint, pencil and collage on linen, 50 x 60cm
