Robert Hitchcock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Hitchcock
Hitchcock standing next to one of his (larger than life) figures at the SAS Garden of Reflection, Perth, Western Australia
Born	Robert Charles Hitchcock (1944-08-18) 18 August 1944 (age 81) Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Education	Perth Tech College
Known for	sculpture, drawing
Notable work	Figurative work, portrait busts, life-size sculptures, horses, abstract
Movement	Bronze sculpture, modernism

Robert Charles Hitchcock, born on August 18, 1944, is a famous Australian sculptor. He started his art career in 1970. He creates sculptures using many different materials and ideas. Today, he is known as one of Australia's top sculptors who makes portraits. He is famous for his large bronze sculptures. These artworks are found in private homes and public places across Australia and other countries.

Robert Hitchcock's Artistic Journey

Early Life and Artistic Beginnings

Robert Hitchcock was born in Perth, Western Australia. He has Irish and Indigenous Australian family roots. When he was young, he worked as a carpenter. In his early twenties, he began studying art at Perth Tech College. He first wanted to study painting. However, an accident as a child affected his eyesight. This made it hard for him to see and mix colors. He soon discovered he was better at making three-dimensional art, like sculptures.

His first sculptures were experimental. He tried many different techniques and styles. He often made realistic art, showing animals and people moving. He also explored how movement could be shown in space. Later, he moved from very realistic art to more stylized and abstract forms. This meant his art became less like real life and more about shapes and ideas. After graduating in 1969, he worked in factories. He learned how to work with plaster, fiberglass, and bronze. This helped him learn many important sculpting skills.

Notable Sculptures and Public Art

In 1970, Robert Hitchcock received his first big art job. He was asked to sculpt Aquanita, a famous racehorse from the 1960s. This sculpture was a quarter of the horse's real size. As he became more well-known, he got many more jobs from the horse world. He sculpted horses for racing, pacing, polo, and quarter horse events. Later, these early works led to even bigger projects. He created huge horse sculptures for public places in towns like Norseman, Merredin, and Moora in Western Australia.

During the 1970s, people started to notice his amazing artwork even more. He made a series of sculptures of the famous Russian ballet dancer, Rudolf Nureyev. Throughout his career, he has sculpted many important and interesting people. His subjects include singer Leonard Cohen, writer Rod McKuen, Professor Ian Constable, composer Beethoven, and poet Robbie Burns. He also sculpted many well-known Australian public figures and athletes.

By the late 1970s, Hitchcock's bronze sculptures became much larger. This made them perfect for public art projects. One of his most famous works is the sculpture of Yagan. Starting in the mid-1970s, the Noongar community wanted a statue of Yagan. They hoped it would be part of the WAY 1979 celebrations, which marked 150 years since the founding of Western Australia. However, their requests were initially turned down. A historian told the Premier, Charles Court, that Yagan was not important enough for a statue. The Noongar community then formed a special committee. They worked hard and raised enough money to ask Robert Hitchcock to create the statue. The final artwork was a life-size bronze statue. It showed Yagan standing with a spear across his shoulders. Elizabeth Hanson, who led the Yagan Committee, officially unveiled the statue on September 11, 1984. You can find it today on Heirisson Island, in the Swan River near Perth.

In 2000, Hitchcock moved into a bigger studio, where he still works today. His sculptures are still very popular and sought after by collectors. A more recent important project was for the SAS Garden of Reflection in Perth. He created three large sculptures of SAS soldiers. One wears a uniform from 1957, when the SAS started in Australia. The other two wear modern combat uniforms and carry weapons. These sculptures are very detailed and show what an Australian SAS soldier truly looks like.

One of the three SAS sculptures by Hitchcock at the "Garden of Reflection", Perth WA