CHARLES HEPBURN SCOTT
Canadian 1886-1964

Charles Hepburn Scott was born on November 29th 1886 in Newmilns, Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of Robert Hepburn and Jean (Carmichael) Scott.  He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and studied under Maurice Greiffenhagen, RA and F H Newbery and received his diploma for Painting and Drawing in 1909.  Following his graduation Scott studied with Jean Delville in Brussels, Belgium and travel throughout Holland, Germany, France and Italy.  In 1912 he moved to Canada, first arriving in Calgary and finally settling in Vancouver in 1915.  Shortly after moving to the city, Scott married Jean Smith Melvin in 1916 and they had one child J. C. Melvin in 1922.  During the war, from 1915 to 1918 Scott served the Canadian Army overseas in the infantry.  In 1922 he was appointed Director of the Vancouver School of Art and worked at the school from 1926 to 1952.  He was instrumental in attracting important teachers and establishing the school as an influential Canadian institution.  

Scott played a visionary role in uplifting the art of western Canada, he believed in the importance of cultural consciousness of a city and lobbied for the establishment of an art school and an art gallery for the City of Vancouver at a time when neither existed.  Scott was a founding member of the BC Arts League and the President of the BC Society of Fine Arts (1921-22).

As a painter he worked from a variety of subjects including landscapes, depicting intimate depictions of his home and garden, portraits and figures.  Scott was particularly fond of painting the beautiful landscape of his new home; he went on field trips with the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts to Savary Island and accompanied Jock MacDonald and Frederick Varley on sketching trips to Garibaldi Provincial Park.

The artist died in 1964 at the age of 78 in Vancouver.  His works have been exhibited internationally including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland and throughout Canada, with solo exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1935, 1947, 1959 and 1989.