What is the Foundation?

The Art Gallery of NSW Foundation is the Gallery’s major acquisition fund and the umbrella organisation for all the Gallery benefactor groups and funds.

It invests capital from donations and bequests and uses the income to purchase works of art for the collection. Vincent van Gogh’s Head of a peasant, Alberto Giacometti’s Woman of Venice VII, Cy Twombly’s Three studies from the Temeraire and Maurice de Vlaminck’s Sailing boats at Chatou are just some of the cornerstone works that have been bought with Foundation funds.

Benefactor groups and funds

When you join the Foundation, you can choose to support the general acquisition fund or you can direct your support to a particular area. As well as specific funds, several Gallery departments have 'friends’ or benefactor groups who organise special events for supporters such as talks, viewings, visits to private collections, lunches and dinners.

• Aboriginal Collection Benefactors (ACB)
• Contemporary Collection Benefactors (CCB)
• Australian Prints, Drawings & Watercolours Benefactors (PDW)
• Photography Collection Benefactors (PCB)
• Australian Art Acquisition Fund
• International Art Acquisition Fund
• Asian Art Acquisition Fund
• Conservation (Friends of Conservation)
• Research Library and Archive (Friends of the Library)
• Curatorial Support Fund
• Public Programs Fund
• VisAsia

How you can join

Foundation membership is offered to benefactors who:

• commit $6000 or more (at least $1500 a year) for a four-year period, or
• donate one or more works of art valued at or over $6000, or
• pledge a bequest of $100 000 or more

This can be to the Foundation generally or to one of the Gallery’s specific benefactor groups and funds.

Benefactors can be individuals, couples, families, groups or companies.

In acknowledgement

In recognition of your support, you will:

• be eligible to have your name listed on the Foundation’s honour board and annual report
• be invited to private viewings of major exhibitions, with a talk by the exhibition curator, the Gallery’s director or another leading art expert
• receive the Foundation’s twice-yearly newsletter

Download Foundation form (PDF 67.2 KB)