The National Gallery of Victoria today saluted the contribution of one of its greatest philanthropists, Victor Smorgon AC, and expressed great sadness at his passing.
Over many years Victor and Loti Smorgon have made a tremendous contribution to the NGV, with donations of artworks and funds for acquisitions.
NGV Acting Director Frances Lindsay said: “Victor Smorgon was a great Australian, who believed in giving to the community across a range of important causes. With his wife Loti he was one of the NGV’s greatest benefactors and a true friend to the visual arts in Australia.
“As a result of their generosity, the NGV has been gifted or acquired over 60 works for our collection. The establishment of the Loti and Victor Smorgon Fund will provide a lasting legacy for this great benefactor.
“The Trustees and staff of the NGV are very saddened by the passing of this great and visionary benefactor, and we extend our sincere condolences to Loti and to all the Smorgon family at this time.”
Loti Smorgon AO and Victor Smorgon AC provided an outstanding start to the NGV’s Masterpieces for Melbourne fundraising campaign in 2008 with the largest ever cash gift made to an Australian art gallery by an individual.
The gift, over 10% of the campaign’s total target of $150 million, built on an extremely generous history of support by the Smorgons for the National Gallery of Victoria over many years.
Following this donation, the NGV established the Loti and Victor Smorgon Fund for the purchase of 20th century and contemporary art, as part of the Masterpieces for Melbourne campaign.
This gift builds on previous significant donations to the NGV for the purchase of works and gifts from their private collection, including a superb group of sculptures by Anthony Gormley, a monumental mosaic by Fernand Léger and a stainless steel moving installation by George Rickey.
The Smorgons are among Australia’s greatest philanthropists, having made huge donations to a wide range of medical and arts organisations in Australia over several decades. Loti, in particular, has a great passion for contemporary art.
The Smorgons generosity over the years has included the presentation in 1995 of the Victor and Loti Smorgon Collection of Contemporary Australian Art to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney – a superb collection of 154 works by many of the leading Australian artists of the late 20th century. The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra established the Loti and Victor Smorgon Gallery in recognition of their support.
Among works acquired by the NGV was a superb collection of contemporary photographs.
Loti Smorgon AO (nèe Kiffer) arrived in Melbourne as an eight year old with her family. Victor Smorgon AC immigrated to Australia as a child with his parents from the Ukraine in 1927. Loti and Victor married in 1937. The Smorgon family have long been involved in philanthropic activities, a tradition which has been carried on by their four daughters and extended family.
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