McLaren art collection goes under the hammer

A concealed entrance gives way to a hidden garden and a courtyard placed between the home and the studio where artists and potters, Gus and Betty McLaren lived, worked and brought up their family of four.

The renowned potters built the Merimbula holiday home in the 70s and later moved in permanently.

Inside, it is full of memories, artworks and the collections of two artistic lifetimes.

But with the sons and daughters and their own families spread around the globe, the time has come for the collection to be sold following Betty's death in May 2022; Gus died in 2008.

Daughter Susan McLaren said the house brought back many fond memories of holidays and the home full of students, artists and friends.

"Dad was a man who was both curious and experimental. He found a book on pottery in Warrandyte (the original home and part of an artists' collective in Victoria) dug up some clay and made a few pieces," Susan said.

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"That was the beginning. It was anything he could mould with his hands."

From the early days as a cartoonist with The Argus and then as an animator with Hanna-Barbera working on Scooby-Doo, Gus took his love of pottery further.

The couple got on collectors' lists after Gus designed a series of animals and gave the moulds to Betty who cast them and pre-firing, decorated with cut outs or further applications of clay.

"She worked her guts out as a mum bringing up four kids and as an artist," Susan said.

The lifestyle was one of open house and frequent parties with red wine flowing.

"The next morning we would often find a few bottles lying around and a couple of artists too," Susan said.

"The animation work was the money that enabled mum and dad to continue their passion for pottery."

She laughed recalling that there was never anything but chipped plates to use in the house because the less than perfect items were sent there.

At one stage the kids insisted they wanted "normal mugs" to drink from rather than the earthenware ones produced by their parents. The kitchen dresser still bears witness to that rebellion with half a dozen commercial mugs hanging in isolation.

Betty (or Liz as Susan said she was known) moved to Merimbula permanently in the 80s.

"She was an avid fisherwoman. We'd have holidays here and I have very happy memories of prawning with mum."

The four siblings all have their own private collections but the collection in the Merimbula home is part of an online auction closing at 7.30pm on Tuesday, February 21.

There are 200 lots of art and pottery, including work by Gus and Betty, items by other family members, daughter Kirsty and son John and individual works by other artists.

Gus is renowned for his china bulls which auctioneer Rob Evans said were "very collectable".

"I'm expecting strong interest. The potter's fraternity will love the McLaren name. There's artwork as well, it's an unknown quantity but I think collectors will lap that up too," he said.

"Of special note are hitherto unrecorded original paintings by Gus - his paintings have previously never been sold. Included also are works by other artists with whom Gus worked over the years including Reg Preston, John Perceval, and Les Tanner."

The collection can be viewed at AllBids

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