Anne Hamblett

Anne Hamblett was a modern painter, illustrator, and ceramicist who is often overshadowed by her marriage to artist Colin McCahon. Born in Mosgiel, she studied at King Edward Technical College in Dunedin (1934–1937) alongside future artists including Toss Woollaston, Doris Lusk and Colin McCahon. During these years, Dunedin provided a flourishing art scene and Hamblett exhibited regularly with the Otago Art Society and shared a studio with fellow painters Doris Lusk and Mollie Lawn.

Anne and Colin married in 1942 and had four children. While her own painting output declined after marriage, historians credit her with providing sharp aesthetic judgment on her husband's work. Hamblett made her last known painting in 1945 and went on to build a notable career illustrating for the School Journal, later taking up ceramics in the 1970s. Hamblett accompanied her husband on research trips, including a four-month tour of art museums in the United States, and supported him through his declining health until his death in 1987. She died in 1993.

Hamblett's achievements and role in in the development of modern art in New Zealand went unrecognised until her legacy was revived by art historian Linda Tyler, culminating in the 2016 exhibition "A Table of One's Own". Today, the former McCahon home in Titirangi is a museum and artists' residency honouring both artists’ legacies.