Lindsay and Paula Fox, billionaire trucking magnates, have made a record $100 million donations to The National Gallery of Victoria, securing naming rights to the gallery's new building in the process. It is the largest cash donation ever made by a living donor to an Australian art museum. The new structure will be known as The Fox: NGV Contemporary.
The Victorian government said on Tuesday that it hoped the move would encourage "further philanthropic support for the project," with the donation adding to the $20 million already donated by the Ian Potter Foundation in 2020. To put the donation into context, Mr. Fox's net worth is estimated to be $2.9 billion by Forbes. The Fox family is the driving force behind Linfox, Australia's largest private logistics company with over 5,000 trucks operating in ten Asia-Pacific countries. The new gallery will be built in Southbank's Melbourne Arts Precinct.
Danny Pearson, Minister for Creative Industries, called the donation a "extraordinary gift to the people of Victoria." "Philanthropy has the power to transform cities, and NGV Contemporary will be a game changer," he said. The new gallery is part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation, a $1.7 billion redevelopment of the Southbank precinct that also includes upgrades to the Arts Centre Melbourne and the Arts Centre Melbourne's new Centre for Creativity. The planned precinct will feature an 18,000 square metre public space, as well as art, design, and fashion, as well as national and international architecture.
Ms Fox, who is also a member of the NGV board of directors, described the gift as "the culmination of many years of passionate support" for the gallery. "We hope that our contribution will inspire others to support this program in order to make it an icon for the future," she said in a statement. The new Southbank location is scheduled to open in 2028. The arts industry was especially hard hit by COVID-19 restrictions, which forced thousands of artists and performers out of work as shows and galleries closed.
Melbourne was also the city in the world that spent the most time under lockdown. The normally thriving arts and food capital was shut down for more than 245 days in six separate periods.
Jean Dubreil
| ArtMajeur Magazine