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2026 NGV Summer Appeal

This summer, the NGV has an exciting opportunity to acquire three significant works by pioneering women photographers of the early twentieth century.

We warmly invite you to support the 2026 NGV Summer Appeal to acquire acquisition of Dora Maar Fashion study, (c. 1936), Anne Brigman Quest, (1931), and Annemarie Heinrich’s Eve’s apple (La manzana de Eva), 1953, for the NGV Collection. United by their bold visual experimentation, these works reveal the power of photography to transform the ordinary into the evocative through light, texture, and composition. Learn more about each work below.

See the works currently on display as part of Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light at NGV International. The exhibition explores the role of women photographers as image-makers – from the suffrage movement at the turn of the twentieth century, through to the women’s liberation movement and beyond.

Every contribution helps the NGV realise this wonderful opportunity, ensuring these works can join the NGV Collection and remain freely accessible for all to enjoy, now and into the future. We sincerely thank all supporters and friends for your ongoing support of the NGV.

“The opportunity to acquire these works marks a significant moment for the NGV, strengthening our representation of women photographers, whose contributions profoundly shaped twentieth century photography.”

Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV

About the works

Dora Maar
Fashion study (c. 1936)

Dora Maar established a commercial photography studio in Paris in in 1932. She forged a reputation as a portrait and fashion photographer through her extraordinarily creative and avant-garde images that reflected her engagement with Surrealism and the New Objectivity movement. In this image, photographed in a studio setting, the model is shown wearing an elegant bias- cut gown. The simplicity of the gown is offset by Maar’s use of unusual, even uncanny, props, such as the striking Art Deco floor lamp, and base relief casts of sea shells mounted on the wall. She has also taken advantage of side lighting to create a dramatic shadow, resulting in a mysterious twin of her model.  

Dora MAAR
Fashion study (c. 1936)
gelatin silver photograph
30.0 × 22.0 cm (image)

Proposed acquisition
© Dora Maar. Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia

Anne Brigman
Quest (1931)

Anne Brigman was a major figure in early twentieth-century photography, recognised for her Pictorialist and experimental photographs. In 1929 Brigman settled in Long Beach, California, where she made a series of photographs dedicated to the effects of wind and sea erosion. This evocative image combines two negatives: one of filament erosion patterns, and the other of an intertwined couple captured from above, Brigman’s niece and her husband. The shadowy, obfuscated portrait is enlivened by the silhouetted streams of sand, as though making visible the energy that cascades from their intimate kiss. 

Anne BRIGMAN
Quest (1931)
gelatin silver photograph
17.8 × 23.5 cm

Proposed acquisition

Annemarie Heinrich
Eve’s apple (La manzana de Eva) 1953

German-born Annemarie Heinrich established her own studio in Buenos Aires in 1930 and soon became a major figure in Argentine photography. She was renowned for her unique style of portraiture, incorporating dramatic lighting and composition techniques that accentuated the theatrical qualities of her sitters. This work is a modern-day play on the Biblical creation story of Adam and Eve. Rather than unleashing the concepts of shame and evil through the consumption of the apple from the forbidden tree, Heinrich’s woman is in control, overshadowing the man in this seductive scene. 

Annemarie HEINRICH
Eve’s apple (La manzana de Eva) 1953
gelatin silver photograph
34.0 × 28.3 cm (image and sheet)

Proposed acquisition
DONATE TODAY

We warmly welcome donations of any amount and thank you for your support to ensure these works will remain in the NGV Collection for visitors to enjoy now and into the future.

All donations of $2 or over are tax deductible.

If you are interested in making a significant gift to this campaign, please contact the NGV Foundation on +61 (0)3 8620 2415 or via our online form.

Donate online

Payment Methods

Online

Make your donation online via the NGV website.

Donate now

Bank Deposit

Bank Westpac Banking Corporation
Account Name Council of Trustees of the National Gallery of Victoria – Donations
BSB 033 009
Account Number 621 445

Please quote SA2026 and your surname on the electronic transfer and provide your details either by email (ngv.foundation@ngv.vic.gov.au) or by phoning the NGV Foundation on +61 (0)3 8620 2415 so that we can acknowledge your donation.

 Phone

Please call the NGV Foundation on +61 (0)3 8620 2415 and we can process your donation over the phone, or post out a donation form.

 Mail

NGV Foundation
National Gallery of Victoria
PO Box 7259
MELBOURNE VIC 3004
Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light

28 Nov 25 – 3 May 26, ticketed

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