Foundation Annual Report 2014 –15 Published by the National Gallery of Australia Parkes Place, Canberra ACT 2600 GPO Box 1150, Canberra ACT 2601 nga.gov.au/aboutus/reports National Gallery of Australia Foundation Office T +61 (0)2 6240 6408 © National Gallery of Australia 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Prepared by the NGA Foundation Edited by Eric Meredith Designed by Carla Da Silva Printed by Union Offset Printers Cover: Charles Blackman Rabbit tea party 1956–57 (detail). The Alan Boxer Bequest, 2014. © Estate of Charles Blackman. Represented by Viscopy Page 4: Bequest Circle Dinner guests on tour with Deborah Hart, 10 September 2014 Page 10: The opening of James Turrell: a retrospective, 12 December 2014 Page 13: Gala guests enjoy the Canberra sunshine in the NGA’s southern garden, 14 March 2015 Page 41: Guests at the Foundation Gala Dinner, 14 March 2015 Page 91: Roger Butler speaks about Margaret Preston’s For a little girl 1929 at the Members Acquisition Fund Thank You event, 4 March 2015 2 Foundation Annual Report 2014 –15 Published by the National Gallery of Australia Parkes Place, Canberra ACT 2600 GPO Box 1150, Canberra ACT 2601 nga.gov.au/aboutus/reports National Gallery of Australia Foundation Office T +61 (0)2 6240 6408 © National Gallery of Australia 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Prepared by the NGA Foundation Edited by Eric Meredith Designed by Carla Da Silva Printed by Union Offset Printers Cover: Charles Blackman Rabbit tea party 1956–57 (detail). The Alan Boxer Bequest, 2014. © Estate of Charles Blackman. Represented by Viscopy Page 4: Bequest Circle Dinner guests on tour with Deborah Hart, 10 September 2014 Page 10: The opening of James Turrell: a retrospective, 12 December 2014 Page 13: Gala guests enjoy the Canberra sunshine in the NGA’s southern garden, 14 March 2015 Page 41: Guests at the Foundation Gala Dinner, 14 March 2015 Page 91: Roger Butler speaks about Margaret Preston’s For a little girl 1929 at the Members Acquisition Fund Thank You event, 4 March 2015 2 Contents Introduction Chair’s report 5 Foundation overview Foundation Board 11 About the Foundation 12 Support Ways of giving 14 Members 15 Donors 2014–15 31 Select gifts 41 Financial statements Independent auditor’s report 92 Directors’ report 94 Financial statements 103 Notes 107 Directors’ declaration 112 NGA Foundation Annual Report 2014–15 3 INTRODUCTION CHAIR’S report I am pleased to present the National Gallery of by American abstract painter Paul Jenkins, Australia Foundation Annual Report 2014–15, which provide further context to the NGA’s a record of the many activities and achievements significant collection of Abstract Expressionist of the NGA Foundation. Every year the art and to the NGA’s extensive Kenneth Tyler Foundation is able to raise millions of dollars in Printmaking Collection—Jenkins having worked support of the national collection and the NGA’s with Ken in the late 1970s. diverse exhibitions and education and access Continuing its long-standing support for the programs because of the generosity of tens NGA, Wesfarmers, the NGA’s Indigenous Art of hundreds of individuals. I would like to take Partner, generously added to the Aboriginal and this opportunity to thank all the generous and Torres Strait Islander collection with a significant committed donors who have contributed to the commissioned suite of engraved aluminium boab Foundation’s outstanding results this year. nuts by various Aboriginal artists. Wesfarmers Cash donations amounted to $4.406 million are one among several donors who chose to and, with the support of the Foundation, the support this collecting area, including Penelope NGA also received gifts of works of art valued MacDonald, who generously gave an important at $12.839 million and corporate sponsorship of work by Arnhem Land bark painter the late $2.917 million. The art you see illustrated in this Paddy Fordham Wainburranga, and Wayne publication is the direct result of the generosity and Vicki McGeoch, who donated four paintings of our donors. Whether it is through bequests, by the late Tjilpi Kunmanara Kankapankatja, cash donations to support acquisitions or gifts significantly augmenting the NGA’s collection of works of art given by private collectors and of contemporary Aboriginal art. artists, the results are spectacular. Many donors and artists supported the development of Australian painting and Major donations and gifts sculpture in the collection. Inge King generously Several of the largest gifts in this financial year gave a suite of important works in celebration came from significant bequests. Firstly, the Alan of her hundredth birthday in 2015, and the Boxer bequest, one of the single largest acts NGA will be holding a focus exhibition drawn of generosity to the NGA in its entire history. from the national collection. Yvonne Audette This $8 million bequest comprises key works by donated one of her most significant works, The some of Australia’s most significant twentieth- flat landscape 1959, greatly strengthening the century artists. It is also significant in that it NGA’s representation of this major Australian is the culmination of a relationship between modernist, and Anne Ferguson gave her striking the NGA and a private collector over both their white marble sculpture Homage to Gaudi 2008. lifetimes: Alan visited the NGA’s offsite store Hester, Martin and Toss Gascoigne donated a in 1982, before the building was open to the group of works by their mother, the late Rosalie public, taking a keen interest in the developing Gascoigne, generously adding to the national collection, and was later a volunteer guide at the art collection’s comprehensive representation NGA for many years. His bequest is a wonderful of the work of this significant Canberra-based example of how collecting institutions can Australian artist. Sculptor Andrew Rogers gave provide ongoing inspiration in our lives. the NGA an artist’s proof for his I am 2012, Dr Lee MacCormick Edwards, former Foundation situated at the Canberra Airport, and he and director and member of the Board of the his wife Judith contributed to the forthcoming American Friends of the National Gallery of restoration and reinvigoration of the NGA’s Australia, Inc, sadly passed away in April 2014. Sculpture Garden, which will become a key Lee very generously bequeathed nine important focus of the Foundation’s fundraising efforts paintings to the NGA, including a much-needed over coming years. Prudence MacLeod, through early work by Jeffrey Smart, Ladbroke Gardens the Lansdowne Foundation, supported the 1949, and Ethel Carrick’s charming painting acquisition of two important paintings by early Carnations c 1925. In addition to these and modernist Eric Wilson and the Melbourne Art other works by Australian artists, the bequest Foundation gave funds for a major work by included two beautiful and atmospheric works contemporary artist Mikala Dwyer. NGA Foundation Annual Report 2014–15 5 The Australian Prints and Drawings collection The Pacific arts collection received an important was bolstered by the support of many gift of John Taiapa Maori carvings from the passionate donors. Rebekah Griffiths of 1960s from custodial trustees Graham Anderson Material Pleasures donated an important and Ronnie Ransfield. early print by Mike Parr, who will be the subject One of the largest donations of the financial of a major retrospective at the NGA in 2016. year was from the National Capital Authority Kathy Littlewood donated a group of forty- and comprised four large textiles created by five works on paper from Lytlewode Press in John Olsen. The textiles were commissioned Melbourne. Rio Tinto and John McPhee each by the federal government on establishing gave groups of prints that greatly enhance Canberra’s first satellite town, Woden, in the the NGA’s holdings of mid nineteenth-century late 1960s and are important additions to the depictions of topographic studies, exploration, NGA’s collection of Olsen’s work. John Houstone flora, fauna and native inhabitants in the donated another group of nineteenth-century Antipodes. Glenn Barkley and Lisa Havilah jewellery and objects this year, extending his gave an impressive four hundred Australian already very generous gift of a large collection artist books produced between 1969 and of silver in the previous year. Helen W Drutt 2013, a definitive collection that has instantly English, member of the Advisory Board for the transformed the NGA’s holdings. Janet Dawson American Friends, and H Peter Stern generously donated a large group of her works, including donated works by contemporary American paintings, sketchbooks and drawings. Former ceramicists Rudolf Staffel and Graham Marks, NGA director Dr Ron Radford AM donated a greatly contributing to the international suite of linocuts by early modernist Weaver contemporary decorative arts and design in the Hawkins and the NGA’s Head of Australian collection. Foundation director Susan Armitage Art Dr Anne Gray donated a group of works by gave South Australian Frank Bauer’s Coffee pot Australian artists. And, once again, the Gordon 2010 and Marian Hosking donated her Clearing Darling Australia Pacific Print Fund has been 2012. A consistent and committed supporter of instrumental in the acquisition of key works decorative arts and design, Meredith Hinchliffe from Australia and other Pacific countries. has long volunteered her time to the NGA and, International art was notably supported by this year, supported the acquisition of two James Turrell, the subject of the NGA’s major recent pieces by jeweller Joungmee Do.