As the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) celebrates 125 years since its establishment on 29 March 2020, we look at the role of the Foundation in sustaining a philanthropic community at QAGOMA that has been integral to the story of the Gallery’s Collection and the success of its exhibitions and other achievements. Here, we touch on some of the milestones of the past four decades as the Gallery recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Foundation.

Since the inception of the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation in 1979, this institution’s fundraising body has been inextricably linked to the story of its Collection. From humble beginnings, albeit with some exquisite high profile international acquisitions, it has grown to encompass an enthusiastic community of givers whose great generosity has allowed the Gallery to build a Collection with both a broad base and exceptional areas of focus.

Montien Boonma ‘Lotus sound’ 1992

Montien Boonma, Thailand 1953-2000 / Lotus sound 1992 / Terracotta, gilded wood / 390 x 542 x 117cm / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 1993 with funds from The Myer Foundation and Michael Sidney Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © QAGOMA

Montien Boonma, Thailand 1953-2000 / Lotus sound 1992 / Terracotta, gilded wood / 390 x 542 x 117cm / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 1993 with funds from The Myer Foundation and Michael Sidney Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © QAGOMA / View full image

Thai artist Montien Boonma (left) installing Lotus sound in the Queensland Art Gallery for The First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT1), September 1993 / Image courtesy: QAGOMA Research Library /
Photograph: Christabelle Baranay

Thai artist Montien Boonma (left) installing Lotus sound in the Queensland Art Gallery for The First Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT1), September 1993 / Image courtesy: QAGOMA Research Library /
Photograph: Christabelle Baranay / View full image

The Foundation is a Committee of the Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees that works to build and sustain our philanthropic community. It accepts gifts and raises money, primarily for acquisitions but increasingly for exhibitions, conservation, publications and wider programming. In looking back at four decades of collecting enabled by the Foundation, we can identify a number of pivotal acquisitions that help tell this larger story of our Collection, and indeed of that generous community that has nourished its extraordinary growth.

The formation of the Foundation coincided with the construction of the Robin Gibson-designed Cultural Centre, of which the Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) was very much the centrepiece and a long-awaited permanent home for a somewhat itinerant Collection. Even prior to its opening in 1982, the building captured the imagination of donors. In its first six months the Foundation raised $400 000 through the first Foundation Appeal, which urged support ‘for the purchase of works of art to enrich the Gallery’s Collection and thus make it representative and commensurate with the standards expected of a major public gallery’. By June 1981 this total had reached $2.7 million, including government subsidy.

The very first acquisition through the Foundation was The Master of Frankfurt’s Virgin and Child with Saint James the Pilgrim, Saint Catherine and the Donor with Saint Peter c.1496 (illustrated). Other key purchases in the first two years included Tintoretto’s dramatic Cristo risorgente c.1555 (illustrated) and Anthony van Dyck’s Portrait of Marchese Filippo Spinola c.1622–27 (illustrated), one of the Flemish master’s most notable Genoese portraits, and Rubens’s Young woman in a fur wrap (after Titian) c.1629–30 (illustrated). These found a home in the new building alongside other treasures from the Collection, by then comprising 3,848 works amassed during its first 90 years.

The Master of Frankfurt ‘Virgin and Child with Saint James the Pilgrim, Saint Catherine and the Donor with Saint Peter’ c.1496

The Master of Frankfurt, The Netherlands 1460 d.c.1520-c.33 / Virgin and Child with Saint James the Pilgrim, Saint Catherine and the Donor with Saint Peter c.1496 / Oil on oak panel / 69 x 55.2cm / Purchased 1980 with funds from Utah Foundation through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

The Master of Frankfurt, The Netherlands 1460 d.c.1520-c.33 / Virgin and Child with Saint James the Pilgrim, Saint Catherine and the Donor with Saint Peter c.1496 / Oil on oak panel / 69 x 55.2cm / Purchased 1980 with funds from Utah Foundation through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image

Tintoretto ‘Cristo risorgente (The risen Christ)’ c.1555

Tintoretto, Italy 1518-94 / Cristo risorgente (The risen Christ) c.1555 / Oil on canvas / 201 x 139cm / Purchased 1981. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

Tintoretto, Italy 1518-94 / Cristo risorgente (The risen Christ) c.1555 / Oil on canvas / 201 x 139cm / Purchased 1981. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image

Anthony van Dyck ‘Portrait of Marchese Filippo Spinola’ c.1622-27

Anthony van Dyck, Flanders/England 1599-1641 / Portrait of Marchese Filippo Spinola c.1622-27 / Oil on canvas / 218.3 x 139.6cm / Purchased 1981. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Dedicated 1998 to Sir George Fisher CMG inaugural President of the Foundation (1979-85) in recognition of his distinguished service / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

Anthony van Dyck, Flanders/England 1599-1641 / Portrait of Marchese Filippo Spinola c.1622-27 / Oil on canvas / 218.3 x 139.6cm / Purchased 1981. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Dedicated 1998 to Sir George Fisher CMG inaugural President of the Foundation (1979-85) in recognition of his distinguished service / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image

Peter Paul Rubens ‘Young woman in a fur wrap (after Titian)’ c.1629-30

Peter Paul Rubens, Flanders 1577-1640 / Young woman in a fur wrap (after Titian) c.1629-30 / Oil on canvas / 91.8 x 68.3cm / Purchased 1980. QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

Peter Paul Rubens, Flanders 1577-1640 / Young woman in a fur wrap (after Titian) c.1629-30 / Oil on canvas / 91.8 x 68.3cm / Purchased 1980. QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image

From this selection of Old Masters, the Gallery began to widen its perspective with the emergence of a new vision that looked to Asia. Plans were laid for an ambitious and innovative series of exhibitions that would transform the Gallery’s collecting focus; The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) saw a shift from a Eurocentric collecting model to what was happening on Queensland’s doorstep. While this new approach did not exclude international acquisitions — and indeed, some of the most remarkable major works of art acquired since then have been from global artists — it gave QAG an undeniable point of difference that forms the cornerstone of our institutional vision to this day.

Throughout the 1990s, which witnessed the first three APTs and the planning stages for the new Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), the Foundation continued to grow and to recognise significant donations and bequests. The annual Foundation Appeal strategically enhances the Gallery’s Collection by acquiring a single major work or set of works each year. The Appeal identifies works that resonate with a wide audience, including those by iconic international artists such as James Turrell and Yayoi Kusama, and Australian artists Ian Fairweather, Ben Quilty and Michael Zavros. Past Appeals have also enriched our understanding of the work of Indigenous Australia, as seen in the stunning collection of banumbirr (Morning Star poles) from Arnhem Land.

James Turrell ‘Night Life’ 2018

James Turrell, United States, b.1943 / Night Life 2018 / Commissioned 2017 to mark the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Gallery of Modern Art. This project has been realised with generous support from the Queensland Government; Paul, Sue and Kate Taylor; the Neilson Foundation and the QAGOMA Foundation Appeal / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

James Turrell, United States, b.1943 / Night Life 2018 / Commissioned 2017 to mark the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Gallery of Modern Art. This project has been realised with generous support from the Queensland Government; Paul, Sue and Kate Taylor; the Neilson Foundation and the QAGOMA Foundation Appeal / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image

Yayoi Kusama ‘Soul under the moon’ 2002

Yayoi Kusama, Japan b.1929 / Soul under the moon 2002 / Mirrors, ultra violet lights, water, plastic, nylon thread, timber, synthetic polymer paint / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 2002 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer and The Myer Foundation, a project of the Sidney Myer Centenary Celebration 1899-1999, through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation and The Yayoi Kusama Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Appeal / © Yayoi Kusama / Courtesy: Yayoi Kusama Studio, Inc. / Installation view at GOMA, 2017

Yayoi Kusama, Japan b.1929 / Soul under the moon 2002 / Mirrors, ultra violet lights, water, plastic, nylon thread, timber, synthetic polymer paint / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 2002 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer and The Myer Foundation, a project of the Sidney Myer Centenary Celebration 1899-1999, through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation and The Yayoi Kusama Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Appeal / © Yayoi Kusama / Courtesy: Yayoi Kusama Studio, Inc. / Installation view at GOMA, 2017 / View full image

Ian Fairweather ‘Gethsemane’ 1958

Ian Fairweather, Scotland/Australia 1891-1974 / Gethsemane 1958 / Gouache on cardboard on board / 145.5 x 198cm / Gift of Philip Bacon AM through the QAGOMA Foundation 2017. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery / © Ian Fairweather/DACS. Copyright Agency

Ian Fairweather, Scotland/Australia 1891-1974 / Gethsemane 1958 / Gouache on cardboard on board / 145.5 x 198cm / Gift of Philip Bacon AM through the QAGOMA Foundation 2017. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery / © Ian Fairweather/DACS. Copyright Agency / View full image

Ben Quilty ‘Sergeant P, after Afghanistan’ 2012

Ben Quilty, Australia b.1973 / Sergeant P, after Afghanistan 2012 / Oil on linen / 190 x 140cm / Purchased 2014 with funds from the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation Appeal and Returned & Services League of Australia (Queensland Branch) / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Ben Quilty

Ben Quilty, Australia b.1973 / Sergeant P, after Afghanistan 2012 / Oil on linen / 190 x 140cm / Purchased 2014 with funds from the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation Appeal and Returned & Services League of Australia (Queensland Branch) / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Ben Quilty / View full image

Michael Zavros ‘Bad dad’ 2013

Michael Zavros, Australia b.1974 / Bad dad 2013 / Oil on canvas / Purchased 2016 with funds raised through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation Appeal / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Michael Zavros

Michael Zavros, Australia b.1974 / Bad dad 2013 / Oil on canvas / Purchased 2016 with funds raised through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation Appeal / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Michael Zavros / View full image

‘Banumbirr (Morning Star poles)’

Frank Djekula 1943–2001, Gupapuyngu people; Richard Galngadiwuy b.1940; Henry Gambika Nupurra b.1932, Djambarrpuyngu people; Richard Gandhuwuy b.1940, Liyagawumirr people; David Lakarriny Gurruwiwi b.1957 / Gali Gurruwiwi b.1942; Henry Dhalnganda Gurruwiwi b.1945; Paul Gurruwiwi b.1975; Richard Dhaymutha Gurruwiwi b.1938; Trevor Gurruwiwi b.1973, Galpu people; Wilson Lanydjurra Gunbirrtja b.1955, Malarra people; Ian Wuruwul c.1950–2010, Ganalpuyngu people; Terry Dhurritjini Yumbulul b.1950, Warramirri people / Banumbirr (Morning Star poles) (installation view) / Wood, bark fibre string, cotton thread, feathers, commercial feathers, human hair, native beeswax, natural pigments, synthetic polymer paint / 73 poles / Purchased 2004, 2008 and 2010, including works purchased with funds from the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation, Margaret Mittelheuser AM and Cathryn Mittelheuser AM, Gadens Lawyers and funds raised through the 2010 Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Annual Appeal / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © The artists/Copyright Agency, 2020

Frank Djekula 1943–2001, Gupapuyngu people; Richard Galngadiwuy b.1940; Henry Gambika Nupurra b.1932, Djambarrpuyngu people; Richard Gandhuwuy b.1940, Liyagawumirr people; David Lakarriny Gurruwiwi b.1957 / Gali Gurruwiwi b.1942; Henry Dhalnganda Gurruwiwi b.1945; Paul Gurruwiwi b.1975; Richard Dhaymutha Gurruwiwi b.1938; Trevor Gurruwiwi b.1973, Galpu people; Wilson Lanydjurra Gunbirrtja b.1955, Malarra people; Ian Wuruwul c.1950–2010, Ganalpuyngu people; Terry Dhurritjini Yumbulul b.1950, Warramirri people / Banumbirr (Morning Star poles) (installation view) / Wood, bark fibre string, cotton thread, feathers, commercial feathers, human hair, native beeswax, natural pigments, synthetic polymer paint / 73 poles / Purchased 2004, 2008 and 2010, including works purchased with funds from the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation, Margaret Mittelheuser AM and Cathryn Mittelheuser AM, Gadens Lawyers and funds raised through the 2010 Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Annual Appeal / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © The artists/Copyright Agency, 2020 / View full image

Over the past four decades, the Gallery has enjoyed remarkable success with its collection building, exhibitions and other achievements. Through the generosity of Foundation members and donors, and with the support of the Queensland Government, the Foundation has raised more than $140 million since its establishment, enabling the acquisition of more than 8300 artworks — over 45 per cent of the Gallery’s Collection. For this incredible commitment to building the Collection of a state institution, I sincerely thank every member of the Foundation and Committee. We have accomplished so much together, and I am very excited about some upcoming plans which will take giving, and its outcomes, to a new level at QAGOMA.

Chris Saines CNZM is Director, QAGOMA. Edited extract from the Gallery’s Artlines magazine, ‘A Forty-year Foundation’, issue 2, 2019

Related Stories

  • Read

    30 minutes or 3 hours: Here’s the best way to spend your time on a visit to QAGOMA

    If you’re a local or visiting Brisbane, whether you have a spare 30 minutes to drop in for a dose of art at either of our neighbouring buildings — the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art — or a leisurely 3 hours to wander both sites, here are some suggestions to make the most of your visit. Pick and choose your preferences from the range of contemporary and historical Australian, Asian, Pacific and international art on display.There’s something for everyone, whether you’re aged 3 or 103. Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery building opened in 1982 as part of the first stage of the Queensland Cultural Centre at South Bank; until then, the Gallery never had a purpose-built permanent home. Designed around the Brisbane River, the spectacular Watermall’s cavernous interior runs parallel to the waterway threading its way through the ‘River City’. Collection highlight: Australian art The work of Australian artists have been collected by the Queensland Art Gallery since its foundation in 1895, however few works in our Collection have enjoyed as much popularity as Under the jacaranda 1903 by R Godfrey Rivers (illustrated). Considered a quintessential image of Brisbane, the clouds of purple blooms capture the attention of Gallery visitors and has ensured the painting’s enduring appeal. Hanging alongside is Monday morning 1912 by Vida Lahey (illustrated), another of the Gallery’s most loved works. The painting of two young women doing the family wash, once a common sight in Australian households, now a recording of a by-gone era. Interesting facts: Under the jacaranda depicts the first jacaranda tree grown in Australia, planted in Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens in 1864; while the laundry room depicted in Monday morning was located in the artist’s home, at the time piped water and built-in concrete troughs were considered modern conveniences! Location: Australian Art Collection, Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Galleries (10-13) R Godfrey Rivers Under the jacaranda 1903 Vida Lahey Monday morning 1912 Collection highlight: Contemporary Australian art The jewellery-like intimacy of Fiona Hall’s Australian set (from ‘Paradisus Terrestris Entitled’ series) 1998–99 (illustrated) is a juxtaposition between culture and nature; human body parts combine with native botanical species. Interesting fact: The artist has transformed humble disposal sardine-tins by engraving, chasing and burnishing in the tradition of the colonial silversmith. Location: Australian Art Collection, Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Galleries (10-13) Fiona Hall Australian set 1998–99 Collection highlight: Indigenous Australian art Artistic expressions from the world's oldest continuing culture are drawn from all regions of the country in the Gallery's holdings of Indigenous Australian artworks. Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa was a well-known artist and respected Elder of Anmatyerre/Arrernte heritage. Goanna Story c.1973-74 is from one of the traditional dreaming stories, and this work shows four of the reptiles moving towards a waterhole. Interesting fact: The artwork has a strong sense of symmetry; one half is a mirror image of the other. Location: Australian Art Collection, Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Galleries (10-13) Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa Goanna Story c.1973–74 Collection highlight: International art Surrounded by works from Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (illustrated) and Edgar Degas (illustrated), La Belle Hollandaise (The beautiful Dutch girl) 1905 (illustrated) is a key painting that marks a transition from the subdued hues and emaciated figures of Pablo Picasso’s ‘blue period’ to the serenity and warmth of the ‘rose period’. Picasso must have been pleased with the result — he inscribed the work at the top left as a gift to Paco Durio, his dear friend and neighbour in the Parisian suburb of Montmartre. Interesting fact: Pablo Picasso's La belle Hollandaise was donated to the Gallery in 1959; at the time this major work by one of the greatest living twentieth century masters; set a world record price at £55,000. Location: International Art Collection, Philip Bacon Galleries (7-9) Pablo Picasso La Belle Hollandaise 1905 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Tete de fille (Head of a girl) 1892 Edgar Degas Three dancers at a dance class c.1888-90 Exhibition highlight: The Asia Pacific Triennial For more than three decades, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art has showcased an evolving mix of the most exciting and important developments in contemporary art from across Australia, Asia and the Pacific. During the 11th chapter, wander through Thai artist Mit Jai Inn’s suspended canvas tunnel in the Watermall (illustrated), its immense hanging ribbon panels inhabit a space between ground and ceiling; then onto Papua New Guinea’s display by collective Haus Yuriyal (illustrated). Interesting fact: The inaugural Asia Pacific Triennial in 1993 was the first project of its kind in the world to focus on the contemporary art of Asia and the Pacific. ‘The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ which features the work of 70 artists, collectives and projects from 30 countries is at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art until 27 April 2025. Location: Queensland Art Gallery Mit Jai Inn Tunnel #APT 2024 Haus Yuriyal 2024 Roy and Matilda For those visiting with children of all ages, drop by the home of Roy and Matilda, two mice who one day decided to visit the Queensland Art Gallery, loved it so much, they decided to say. Just look for the letters 'R' and 'M' carved into their beautiful wooden front door. Interesting fact: One day, a man who worked in the Galley’s workshop restoring and carving frames found they were living here and decided to make them a special little front door. Location: Australian Art Collection, Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Galleries (10-13) Watermall & Sculpture Courtyard The Queensland Art Gallery’s grand Watermall — a visitor favourite for both regular art lovers and tourists — extends far beyond the Gallery’s interior; past the Dandelion fountains (illustrated) through to the reflection pond and Sculpture Courtyard. Why not relax and enjoy a quiet moment of contemplation at the adjoining QAG Cafe. Interesting facts:...
  • Read

    Inside out: Anish Kapoor

    Born in India, Anish Kapoor has a rich cultural heritage through his Indian and Jewish ancestral lineage and his mainly British art education. He has been one of the most acclaimed sculptors working in Britain since completing his academic studies in 1979. Although currently based in London, Indian materials and ideas maintain a strong presence in his work. Kapoor’s sculpture is primarily concerned with metaphysical dualities: the play of opposing concepts such as presence and absence, inside and outside, light and dark. Red is the colour I’ve felt very strongly about. . . Of course it’s the colour of the interior of our bodies. In a way it’s inside out. . . I’m interested in the idea that form in a sense turns itself inside out, that the inside and the outside are equivalent to each other. Anish Kapoor In Untitled 2006-7, Kapoor has covered an extruding concave shape with a red lacquered surface. Projecting outward into space and simultaneously drawing the viewer in, it is a work that invites the viewer to contemplate its dark interior while remaining aware of its overall form. With sustained viewing, the play of inside and outside generates a profound optical effect. Anish Kapoor ‘Untitled’ 2006-07 The scale and saturated colour of Anish Kapoor’s extraordinary sculptures engage the viewer both physically and psychologically. Using simple, strong forms, these enigmatic works enable viewers to directly experience primal states of being, from sensations of emptiness, to darkness, intimacy and desire. In this especially commissioned work, perception is manipulated through the use of a single rich colour, a highly reflective surface and monumental form. Kapoor uses the language of sculpture to explore ideas of metaphysics and the sublime, and his dramatic and monumental works often push the scope of sculpture into the realm of architecture.