The art of giving As Directors of the National Gallery’s Foundation Board, Penelope Seidler and Andrew Lu have generously joined a collective of donors who have supported the Know My Name initiative.
Among the many acquisitions and programs you have supported, you are a generous donor to our Know My Name initiative. What motivated you to be part of this important collective of donors? I was pleased to support Know My Name to increase the prominence of women artists, particularly indigenous artists. The popular perception of the artist is a male, few women are ever in the top ten of the public’s top ten artists. Let’s hope Know My Name can reverse this perception! What is your favourite work of art in the NGA collection, and what does this work mean to you?
PENELOPE SEIDLER AM
I confess that my favourite work at NGA is a gift I made in memory of [late husband] Harry, the Theo van Doesburg Space-time construction #3, 1923; this De Stijl work hung in our house for several years. Harry had admired the work since he saw it at the Museum of Modern Art in 1946; we were excited to be able to purchase it in the 1990s. The NGA’s collection is the appropriate Gallery in Australia to house this seminal work of art as it joined a significant international European collection; I get a special thrill whenever I see it and know it will be treasured.
Penelope Seidler, an architect and visionary arts patron, was a Member of the NGA’s Governing Council from 1984 to 1990 and has been a Director of the Foundation Board since 2000. As a mark of her global art interests, Penelope has sat on the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art in New York since 1973. An inspiring supporter of artists, Penelope notably featured in the major film work Inverso Mundus by Russian artist collective AES+F that was displayed as part of the Gallery’s Hyper Real exhibition in 2017. What inspires you to continue your engagement with the Gallery as a member of its fundraising board? I was involved with the NGA before its opening; I visited the collection at Fyshwick when the art was stored waiting for the building to open. I was at the opening gala and have felt part of the Gallery ever since. I was a member of Council during the 80’s and I have continued my association as a member of the Foundation Board! I enjoy the breadth of collection, the amazing research facilities and the professionalism of the curators. I have been able to contribute and donate to the collection and hope to be able to continue; I am so pleased that its unique collection can be shared by us all.
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nga.gov.au
Above: National Gallery Director Nick Mitzevich with Foundation Board Director Penelope Seidler Left: Theo Van Doesburg, Space-time construction #3 1923, drawing, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Penelope Seidler AM in memory of Harry Seidler AC in 2010 Right: Foundation Board Director Dr Andrew Lu
