2023 Annual Appeal
THANK YOU
2023 Annual Appeal
Through the support of our extraordinary philanthropic community, the 2023 NGV Annual Appeal allowed the Gallery to acquire a masterpiece by the legendary master of Surrealism, Salvador Dalí. Mae West Lips Sofa 1937-38 has joined the NGV Collection with thanks to the generous supporters of the 2023 NGV Annual Appeal, and we recognise leadership gifts from: Paula Fox AO and Fox Family Foundation, Mavourneen Cowen, Tim Fairfax AC and Gina Fairfax AC, The Betsy and Ollie Polasek Endowment, King Family Foundation, John and Jenny Fast, and Ralph Ward-Ambler AM and Barbara Ward-Ambler.
As one of only five in existence, Mae West Lips Sofa presented an extraordinary opportunity to secure a major piece of Surrealist sculpture by the internationally renowned artist Salvador Dalí, becoming the largest and most significant Surrealist sculpture in the NGV Collection and making the NGV one of the most important repositories of Surrealist art in Australia.
Around 1935, Spanish artist Salvador Dalí saw something special in the face of movie star Mae West – an apartment. In a watercolour, he turned her blonde curls into portières, her eyes into paintings, her nose into a fireplace, and her lips into a divan. The last was a furnishing so provocative that British arts patron Edward James requested a three-dimensional version.
James funded the production of five Mae West Lips sofas designed by Dalí to be manufactured in three variant designs. Three of these were produced for James’s London home, and are now held in the collections of the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Brighton; the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam; and the Edward James Foundation at Monkton House, West Sussex. A separate pair was produced by the interior designers Green & Abbott for the dining room at Monkton House. James placed the pair on either side of the fireplace, emulating the composition of Dalí’s Mae West’s Face which May be Used as a Surrealist Apartment. Both of these sofas remained in place at Monkton House until 2016.
One sofa is now held in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The last of Dalí’s five renowned sculptures manufactured in 1937–38 has now found a home in the NGV Collection, for the entire community to learn from and enjoy.
We sincerely thank our dedicated supporters of the 2023 NGV Annual Appeal who have helped to strengthen our Collection, and we recognise all supporters who have made gifts to help secure this significant work:
Leadership Gifts
Mrs Mavourneen Cowen
Mr Tim Fairfax AC & Mrs Gina Fairfax AC
The Betsy and Ollie Polasek Endowment
King Family Foundation
Donors to the 2023 NGV Foundation Annual Dinner
Donors to the 2023 NGV Annual Appeal
$20,000+
Mr Ralph Ward-Ambler AM & Mrs Barbara Ward-Ambler
$10,000+
Mr John Bates & Mrs Lorraine Bates
Forster Family Foundation
Gwenneth Nancy Head Foundation
$5,000+
Anonymous
Mrs Jahn Buhrman
Mr Peter Canet & Mrs Ivanka Canet
Mr Trevor Cohen AM & Mrs Heather Cohen
Linda Herd & the Canny Quine Foundation
Ms Liana Kestelman
Mrs Susan Kimpton
Ms Jacqui L. Lamont
The Marmel Foundation
Anonymous
Ms Anita Simon
Peter & Celia Sitch Family Charitable Foundation
Swann Family Foundation
Valda Klaric Foundation
Mrs Dinanda Waterham & Mr Sietze Waterham
$1,000+
Ms Ren Barlow & Mr Chris Barlow
Anonymous
Mrs Lynette Beckett & Mr Warren Beckett
Darcy Brennan & Deborah Galbraith
Dr Sheena Broughton & Mr Nigel Broughton
Mr Francis Chai & Ms Bee Lee Thia
Mrs Loreen Chambers & Mr John Chambers
Mrs Christine Collingwood & Mr John Collingwood
Assoc. Prof. John Collins & Mrs Mandy Collins
Miss Catherine Condell
Mr Lorenzo Costalunga
Dr Sheryl Coughlin & Mr Paul Coughlin
Dr Rosalie Cull
The Cuming Bequest
Mr Gregory Evans
Mrs Marian Evans
Dr Miriam Faine & Mr Greg Shalit
Grenda Foundation
Mr Barry Gilbert & Mrs Fay Gilbert
Ms Jenny Cook
Ms Andrea Goldsmith
Miss C M Gray
Three Springs Foundation
Olivia Humphrey
Emeritus Prof. Anne Hunt OAM
Ms Sandra Jenkins & Ms Dagmar Jenkins
Mrs Kathleen Johnston AM
Mr Greg Keene & Mrs Rhonda Keene
Chris Kelly
Mr Christopher Kelly & Mrs Kerry-Ann Kelly
Ms Merran Kelsall AO & Mr Brent Taylor
Anonymous
Ms Toni Kilsby & Mr Mark McDonald
Mr Michael Kingston
Mr Spencer Ko
Mrs Dinah Krongold
Mr Craig Langford & Mr Gerard Shanahan
Mrs Debra Langford & Mr Michael Langford
Mr Grant MacKenzie
Mrs Margaret Mayers
Mr Victor McConvey OAM
Linda McNaughton
Mr Christopher Menz
Christine Mullen & Christopher Grikscheit in memory of Allan Heller
Ms Judith Paish
Dr Mae Anna Pang
Mrs Susan Parker
Mrs Joyce Pell
Prof. Margaret Plant
Mr John Rosenbloom & Ms Kathryn Earp
Anonymous
Dr Murray Sandland
The Hon. Ian Baker & Prof. Cheryl Saunders AO
Dr Yvonne Shafir
Ms Penny Shore
Dr John Martin Sime
Mrs Jan Simon
Dr Sally Sojan
Mr Michael Stephens
Mr Charles Tegner
Ms Susan Thomas
Mr John Thompson
Dr Laurie Warfe
Mrs Angela Westacott
Ms Judy Williams
Mrs Alison Woodward
$100+
Mrs Lucy Akerman
Ms Jane Akhurst
Mrs Julie Allbutt & Mr Scott Allbutt
Dr Adrianne Anderson
Mr John Anderson
Mr Harry Anstey & Mrs Archleigh Anstey
Mrs Christine Armour & Mr Mark Armour
Ms Dominique Armstrong
Ms Janet Arndt
Mrs Kay E. Bailey
Mrs Kim Baker
Mrs Helen Ballard
Isaac Bar
Mrs Susan Barrack
Michael Bartlett
Mrs Anita Bartsch
Kate Bêchet & Helen Dick
Mr Neville Beer & Mrs Bronwyne Beer
Mrs Janet Bell & Mr Alan Bell
Mrs Louise Bentley & Mr Julian Bentley
Prof Josephine Ben-Tovim & Mr David Ben-Tovim
Julia Bertalli
Mr Michael Bicknell
Mr Phil Biggs & Mr Wayne De Goldi
Mr Graham Blashki & Ms Evelyn Firstenberg
Mrs Jenny Blencowe
Francis Breen
Michael Bridge
Dr Coral Brown & Mr Barry Hess
Mrs Deirdre Brown
Michelle Brown
Ms Freya Bruveris & Ms Susan Bruveris
Anonymous
Ms Karin Butterfield & Mr David Butterfield
Ms Bruna Capodanno
Mrs Pamela Carder & Mr Neil Carder
Dr Elizabeth Carew-Reid & Dr Anne Shirley Walker
Mr Angelo Carlini
Ms Kerin Carr
Ms TJ Carroll
Ms Sandra Carter
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Mrs Paula Chamberlain
Ms Chang Yu Lin
Mr Geoffrey Charters
Mr Chris Chaundy
Bernadette Cheet
Mrs Pamela Chin
Miss Min Li Chong
Daniel Clark
Mr Gregory Clayton
Prof. Tony Coady & Mrs Margaret Mary Coady
Mrs Mary-Ann Cohn
Emma Collerton
Ms Mary Commisso
Ms Margaret Connell
Ms Michele Cooper-Hede
Mr Andrew Coory
Anonymous
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Julian Coyne
Mrs Rosemary Crosthwaite & Mr Alan Crosthwaite
Mrs Margaret Crothers
Dr Roderick Cunningham & Mrs Winonah Cunningham
Ms Rosanne Cunningham
Dr Andrea Currie
Mrs Glenda Date
Anonymous
Estelle De Beer
Jonathan Denby
Ms Bernadette Devlin
Melke Distler
Dr Patricia Dixon
Mrs Tatjana Djuric
Ms Megan Douglas
Ms Therese Doupe
Mr Sean C. Doyle
Ms Patricia Dressel
Jason Drewe
Mrs Michele Drysdale
Ms Amanda Leigh Duvall
Ms Joan Elizabeth
Anonymous
Mr Guy Fanning & Ms Grace Fanning
Anonymous
Ms Tricia Ferguson
Mr Miguel Ferreira
Mr Trevor Findlay
Mr Thomas Fitz Gibbon & Mr Beng Oh
Mrs Chloe Fitzwilliams Hyde & Mr Anthony Fitzwilliams Hyde
Miss Joyce Francis
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Mr Dennis Freeman & Ms Anne Smithies
Ms Amanda Frith & Mr John Ramsay
Mr Andrew Frost & Mrs Carol Frost
Mrs Maria Gabriel & Mr Chris Gabriel
Dr Mark Garwood & Mrs Elizabeth Garwood
Mrs Gaye Gaylard & Mr John Robert Gaylard
Anonymous
Dr Linda Gibbs & Rhian Shinners
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Mrs Fiona Glover
Mr David Godkin
Anonymous
Mrs Jennifer Goodman & Prof. Greg Goodman AM
Mr Anthony J. Goss
Anna Gray
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Mr John Gyorki MD & Dr Susanne Gyorki
Mrs Jane Hains & Mr Stephen Hains
Ms Megan Hall
Prof. Phillip Hamilton & Dr Leon Fennessy
Mrs Jan Hanslow
Mr R Harden & Mrs L Harden
Ms Susan Harper
Mr Rodney Harris & Ms Pam Harris
Mrs Virginia Harrison & Mr Wayne Harrison
Miss Carol Hay
Mr Tim Haynes & Ms Kathryn Tomasic
Ms Sharon Heath
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Mr John Hickey
Ms Margaret Hill
Anonymous
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Mrs Marion Honan & Ms Anna Honan
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Ms Joanna Hughes
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Mr Anthony Hyett
Dr Irene Irvine & Prof. J. G. Wallace
Mr Jonathan Irvine
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Lesley Jackson
Anonymous
Ms Lynette James
Mrs Elizabeth Jarema & Mr William Jarema
Mrs Danielle Jelinek
Mrs Gail Jenkins & Dr Peter Jenkins
Mr Peter Jenkins
Mr W. J. Jobling
Ms Sue Johnston
Mr William Johnston
Ms Barbara M Jones
Ms Vivienne Jones
Anonymous
Mrs Elizabeth Joyce
Mr Gavan Kelly
Ms Michelle Kelso
Anonymous
in memory of Jennifer Dudley
Dr Richard King & Mrs Andrea King
Anonymous
Dr Colin Kratzing
Dr Max Kupershmidt & Ms Yana Itskovich
Sheirly Lugito
Ms Janet Lapworth & Mr Ross Lapworth
Miss Amy Lau
Peter Laurent & Julie Laurent
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Arnaud Michelin
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Mr Brian Milton & Ms Kristine Milton
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Mr Andrew Pausewang & Ms Jessica Conner
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David Phillips
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Anonymous
Emeritus Professor John Poynter AO OBE
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Asha Rao
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Ms Maria Rivers
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Mr Graeme Robinson
Prof Stephen Rogerson & Dr Sheryle Rogerson
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Anonymous
Miss Marie Rowland
Mr Andrew Rozwadowski & Ms Patricia Duncan
James Rushton
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Evelyn Ryder
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Gordon Samyue
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Anonymous
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Ms Naomi Seymour
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Martin Strandgard
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Ms Fatima Tahiri & Ms Chris Smith
Archer Talbot
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Dr Chris Worth & Mrs Mary McDonnell
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