Henri Benedictus van Raalte (11 February 1881 – 4 November 1929), known as H. van Raalte, was an Australian artist and

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...

Early life and training

Van Raalte was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, London in 1881 to a Dutch father, Joel van Raalte, a cigar merchant, and an English mother, Frances Elizabeth nee Cable. He was educated at the City of London School, the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

and later in Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1901 he was elected an associate of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, and in the same year had a picture hung at the Royal Academy exhibition. In 1902 there were full-page reproductions of an etching, and a dry-point by van Raalte in Modern Etching and Engraving, published by the Studio at London, highly competent and assured pieces of work, though he was then aged only 21. Henri Benedictus van Raalte

Western Australia

In 1910 he went to

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and founded a school of art at

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. He did many etchings and aquatints, often taking

gum tree Gum tree is a common name for smooth-barked trees and shrubs in several genera: *Eucalypteae, particularly: **''Eucalyptus'', which includes the majority of species of gum trees. **''Corymbia'', which includes the ghost gums and spotted gums. **''A ...

s for his subjects, but it was some time before his work became known in the eastern states. He had an exhibition of his work at Perth in 1919 which was followed by another at

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. In 1921 he was appointed curator of the art department at Adelaide, and in 1922 his title was changed to curator of the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

. He resigned in January 1926 after interference by Sir William Sowden, president of the Gallery's board, in the hanging of what Van Raalte considered "bad art". He established a studio at

Second Valley, South Australia Second Valley is a coastal town on the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia. The name is derived from being the next valley north of Rapid Bay, the initial camp on South Australian mainland of Colonel William Light. It is a popular scuba div ...

, and lived there for the last three years of his life.

Death

Except for occasional fits of depression van Raalte was apparently in good health, and it was intended that he should hold an exhibition of his work at Adelaide about the end of 1929. On 4 November of that year he was found in the grounds of his house shot through the head, and he died on the same day, leaving a widow and three sons. Van Raalte Place, in the Canberra suburb of Conder, is named in his honour.

References

* Clifford-Smith, Silas (2010), 'Henri van Raalte' (peer reviewed biography), Dictionary of Australian Artists Online

External links

Images of prints by Australian artist Henri van Raalte
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Raalte, H. 1881 births 1929 suicides Australian printmakers Artists who died by suicide Suicides in South Australia Suicides by firearm in Australia Deaths by firearm in South Australia Australian people of Dutch descent English emigrants to Australia 1929 deaths