Kate Coolahan

Cathrine Anne Coolahan (née Castle; 2 November 1929 – 3 January 2025) was a New Zealand commercial artist, fashion illustrator and printmaker. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and the British Museum.

Life and career Coolahan was born in Sydney, Australia, to Roderick Castle, a printer, and Dorothy Vera Evans, a homemaker. She attended Neutral Bay Girls Junior High School and then studied art at the East Sydney Technical College from 1945 to 1950, graduating with honours in 1950. She then worked in the art department of Farmer & Co., a Sydney department store, where she designed brochures, wrapping paper, packaging and advertising.

Coolahan met her husband, Max Coolahan, at East Sydney Technical College.

In 1952, Coolahan took a three-month position in Wellington, New Zealand, with the advertising agency J. Inglis Wright Ltd, which then became a permanent position.

In 1985 and 1986, a retrospective exhibition of Coolahan's work toured New Zealand.

Coolahan died at Tītahi Bay on 3 January 2025 at the age of 95. She was predeceased by her husband in 1985.

Recognition In 2003, Coolahan was conferred an honorary doctorate by Massey University.