Alfred Felton was a visionary. After arriving in Victoria’s goldfields, he became a successful entrepreneur who built a substantial fortune through commercial interests. Despite his wealth, Felton lived modestly in a two-room apartment in St Kilda’s Esplanade Hotel. When he died in 1904, he left behind an estate of approximately £400,000. The earnings and growth from the estate were to be split equally in perpetuity between two causes which Felton greatly valued: welfare and cultural heritage, which included funds for the NGV. By 2001 over 15,000 items had been acquired for the NGV Collection by the bequest, transforming the Collection through enabling extraordinary acquisitions across diverse areas.
In 2004, the centenary year of the Felton Bequest, the NGV Foundation launched the NGV Felton Society. The aim of the Felton Society is to encourage people to make a notified bequest to the NGV and in return, the NGV gives recognition during that person’s lifetime. The Felton Society celebrates the spirit of like-minded members – people who have enjoyed visiting the NGV throughout their lives and want to create a legacy by growing the Collection for current and future generations to learn from and enjoy. Members of the Felton Society are part of a dedicated network, and we acknowledge their connection and commitment to the NGV as well as to the community more widely.
The impact of the Felton Society over the last twenty years can be seen in a number of extraordinary bequest gifts that have been gratefully received by the NGV. The Gallery acknowledges two independently significant major gifts through this program: the Professor AGL Shaw AO Bequest, as well as the John Fawcett Bequest, both of which have a lasting impact.
Enriching historical collections
The Felton Bequest was incredibly successful in the first half of the twentieth century, when the NGV entered the international art buying market and expanded the number of works in the Collection by holdings of European Masters and antiquities. In 1933 the NGV acquired Giambattista Tiepolo’s The Banquet of Cleopatra, 1743–44, which remains one of the most celebrated works in the Collection. Other major historical works that became part of the Collection via the Felton Bequest include Camille Pissarro’s Boulevard Montmartre, morning, cloudy weather (Boulevard Montmartre, matin, temps gris), 1897 (acquired in 1905); Katsushika Hokusai’s The great wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830, from the Thirty-Six Views of Mt Fuji series, 1826–33 (acquired in 1909); and Lavinia Fontana’s Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine, 1574–77 (acquired in 2021).
Although Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine is a recent acquisition, Fontana’s work tells one of the most powerful early stories in the Collection. Lavinia Fontana is regarded as the first professional woman painter, and one of the most influential artists of the sixteenth century across Rome and Bologna. In 1961 the Felton Bequest acquired Holy Family with Saint Jerome, a female martyr and the infant Saint John the Baptist, c. 1552–55, painted by Prospero Fontana who was Lavinia Fontana’s father. It was the incredible vision of the Felton Bequest that enabled the NGV to reunite father and child through the acquisition of their respective artworks, which are both historical masterpieces. The 2021 acquisition of Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine ensured that this work is now held in an Australian collection, representing a pioneering woman artist in the Renaissance era.
Supporting contemporary art and design
From the mid twentieth century, the Felton Bequest also focused on acquiring works by First Nations and other Australian artists, and later works of contemporary art. Masterpieces by Australian artists that entered the Collection due to the Felton Bequest include three of the NGV’s most loved works: Frederick McCubbin’s The pioneer, 1904 (acquired in 1906); English-born Australian artist Tom Roberts’s Shearing the rams, 1890 (acquired in 1932); and John Brack’s Portrait of Dr Ursula Hoff, 1985 (acquired in 1985).
The Felton Bequest also facilitated masterpieces by First Nations artists to be proudly represented in the Collection, including Rover Thomas’s Dreamtime story of the willy willy, 1989 (acquired 1990); Johnny Yungut Tjupurrula’s Tingarri Dreaming at Wanaritjarra, 2009 (acquired 2011); Ronnie Tjampitjinpa’s Water Dreaming at Malparingya, 2006 (acquired 2011); and the collaborative work Ngayarta Kujarra, 2009, by Jakayu Biljabu, Yikartu Bumba, May Chapman, Nyanjilpayi Nancy Chapman, Doreen Chapman, Linda James, Donna Loxton, Mulyatingki Marney, Reena Rogers, Beatrice Simpson, Ronelle Simpson, and Muntararr Rosie Williams (acquired 2011).
Major contemporary acquisitions include Kohei Nawa’s glass-based work PixCell-Red Deer, 2012 (acquired 2013), and the large-scale work 150 year, Rorschach, 2019 (acquired in 2020), by Australian artist Ben Quilty.
NGV Triennial
In 2017 the Gallery launched the NGV Triennial exhibition series, which showcases the work of leading contemporary artists and designers from all over the world by presenting a snapshot of the world today. The Felton Bequest has been a leading supporter of the Triennial across all three iterations, proudly earning the title of a Triennial Champion, which distinguishes the bequest as one of the leading supporters of the Triennial series.
In 2017 the Felton Bequest acquired the colossal installation Mass, 2016–17, by Australian-born, UK-based artist Ron Mueck. Mass has since travelled the world on loan from the NGV, where it is highly regarded through each presentation. NGV Triennial 2020 included the memorable and luminous neon installation C=O=D=A by Welsh artist Cerith Wyn Evans, acquired by the Felton Bequest and restaged in Federation Court in 2022.
In our third and most recent Triennial in 2023, the NGV presented three remarkable works acquired by the Felton Bequest: Thomas J. Price’s Reaching out, 2022; Elmgreen & Dragset’s The examiner, 2023; and David Shrigley’s Really good, 2016. These works were undeniable highlights of last summer’s blockbuster exhibition.
The Felton Bequest has impacted every collection area of the NGV, and twenty years on from its establishment, the Felton Society has inspired others to follow in Alfred Felton’s footsteps. This remarkable group illustrates the importance of philanthropy and highlights how one person can make a lasting impact. The NGV celebrates each member of the Felton Society and commends them on their commitment to supporting the acquisition of art and design for the benefit of future generations.
Anna Kopinski is NGV Head of Bequests and Planned Giving. If you are interested in learning more about the NGV Bequest program (known as the Felton Society), please contact Anna on 03 8620 2400.
This article was first published in NGV Magazine, July-Aug 2024.