2024 has marked a series of milestones for the Felton Bequest committee which brings together an enthusiastic – and skilled – group of people committed to honouring the legacy of Alfred Felton.

Celebrating 120 years since its establishment, the Felton Bequest has facilitated the acquisition of over 15,000 works of art, valued at more than $3 billion, for the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). These efforts continue to shape Australia’s cultural landscape.

A legacy of advocacy

Barrister Christine Clough was appointed to  the Committee in 2024 as a Continuing Member, bringing her extraordinary experience of advocating for women and children. Starting her career in social work before transitioning to law, Ms Clough has tirelessly championed causes such as child protection, family violence, and mental health.  “I’m not ready to retire quite yet,” she says, underscoring her unwavering commitment to her work.

Her calling aligns with Alfred Felton’s express direction that his Bequest divide its distributions equally between supporting the NGV and, funding causes that support women and children. Her lifelong commitment to the arts and dedication to rural accessibility complements her professional achievements, which include contributions to organ donation initiatives and rape crisis support teams.

Celebrating longstanding service

This year also marks the anniversary of the appointment of Rupert Myer AO, who joined the Committee under the highly regarded leadership of longstanding chair, Sir Andrew Grimwade CBE in 2004.

Mr Myer described his role as a profound honour and privilege on being invited to join the Committee and to serve Alfred Felton’s vision.

“It was an opportunity to serve,” he said, pointing out that the quality of the members of the committee and the support provided by Equity Trustees: “It was comforting in taking on a role like this to know that there is great care and due diligence that goes into supporting the Committee and the Trust The camaraderie, quality of conversations, and social impact make it incredibly fulfilling,” he shared. 

While the Felton Bequest has an extraordinary reputation in the arts, Mr Myer said he often thinks about the far more modest charitable grants it distributes.

“A good example is an application we received for a very specific (under $10,000) amount to the nearest dollar. The application received from this small organisation never rounded up the granting amount requested because they said it was all they needed. I think about that – and that small organisations can do things that are quite profound, like supplying shoes for kids for school ensuring they fit in. A small grant such as this can make such a huge difference the value of which is hard to measure.”

Mr Myer said it was also gratifying that a successful application for Felton Bequest funding often acted as a springboard for further funding success: “We have the ability to not be bound by the ‘usual’ in terms of what we fund, but our grant review process has become trusted in which gives the Felton name as a cache as further funding is sought.”

Continuing the family tradition

Sir Andrew’s nephew, Fred Grimwade (great, great grandson of Alfred Felton’s business partner Frederick S Grimwade) also sees out his second year as a continuing member of the Committee, taking up the seat at the table left when Sir Andrew died in 2023. The Committee currently includes Equity Trustees’ Board Chair Carol Schwartz AO and Janet Whiting AM, President of the NGV Board of Trustees, as well as Equity Trustees Philanthropy professionals Emily Fraresso and Emily Cormack.

Mr Grimwade traces his own interest in art to his grandmother Gwen Grimwade (Sir Andrew’s mother) who regularly took him for trips to the NGV.

“As a child I was taken off to the NGV and all the many works on the display that carried the Felton Bequest name were pointed out to me – especially the Tiepolo (The Banquet of Cleopatra). The Bequest is a great example of what can be achieved with real foresight,” he said.

The Committee’s tradition of not always taking the ‘usual’ path is evident in its choices of art works gifted to the NGV – a decision based heavily on a constructive and trusted partnership with the NGV which is singularly committed to its role in fostering scholarship and appreciation of the visual arts as a part of the Australian identity. With its legacy firmly rooted in innovation and philanthropy, the Felton Bequest continues to enrich cultural and social landscapes.

Mr Myer recalls the Bequest gift to the NGV in the Bicentenary year 1988 – Spirit Dreaming through Napperby country by Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri and Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri – which was groundbreaking at the time: “At the time purchasing Indigenous artworks was less common, but it is now part of the depth across all parts of the collection.”

You can read more about Alfred Felton here, the latest gift for the NGV Triennial here, and Mass 2017 (otherwise known as ‘the skulls’) - one of the most instagrammed art gifted to the NGV for the 2017 Triennial here.

The 2024 Felton Bequest Annual Report is available here.