NGV Summer Appeal 2026

THANK YOU

2026 NGV Summer Appeal

The NGV extends our gratitude to our philanthropic community for their support to acquire three significant works by women photographers from the early twentieth century. As a result of the Summer Appeal, the NGV has welcomed Dora Maar’s Fashion study, c. 1936, Anne Brigman’s Quest, 1931 and Annemarie Heinrich’s Eve’s apple (La manzana de Eva), 1953 into the Collection.

These three photographs are united by their bold visual experimentation, each transforming ordinary subjects into highly evocative pieces through their masterful manipulation of light, texture and composition. The acquisition of these works by three trailblazing artists strengthens the Gallery’s holdings of photography by women artists and celebrates their significant contributions to the history of the medium.

We sincerely thank our dedicated supporters of the 2026 NGV Summer Appeal who have helped to strengthen our Collection, and we recognise all supporters who have made gifts to help secure these important photographs:

Leadership Gifts

Carmena Mucciacciaro
Hermann Family Foundation
Rosemary Merralls & Nora Merralls

$1,000+

Michael Barbayannis
Lynette Beckett & Warren Beckett
Rosalind Budge & Keith Budge
Bruna Capodanno
Bob Edgar
Christine Grenda & Geoff Grenda
Alistair Hay & Dr Jenny Miller
Dr. Annemarie J. Hunt OAM
Nannette Hunter
Jane Kunstler
Charles Tegner
Robyn Wilson & Ross Wilson

$500+

Flora Di Medio
Dr Colin Kratzing
Diane Matthews
Robert McGauran
Asha Rao
Anonymous
Richard Stone

$100+

Karen McLeod Adair & Anthony Adair AM
Joy Anderson
Nick Augerinos
Kim Baker
Anita Bartsch
Craig Binge & Laurence Dreyfuss
Bev Boyunegmez
Elizabeth Bulling
Graham Burke AC & Robyn Burke
Mark Burton and Jenine Burton
Pamela Chin
Jeanette Clough
Sandra Dent
Fiona Devilee
Megan Douglas
David Dyett
Amanda Dyson & Ian Dyson
Julienne Feeney & Vincent Feeney
Tamara Fraser
Christine Hardidge
Dr Milton Harris & Penny Harris
Margaret Holmes
Marion Honan & Anna Honan
Anonymous
Joanna Hughes
Jonathan Irvine
Pamela Jackson
Anastasia Kotaidis
Janet Lapworth & Ross Lapworth
Chang Yu Lin
Helen Loersch
Dr. Andreas Loewe & Dr. Katherine Firth
Tavis Longmuir
Margaret Lowe
Marian Lowe
Joan Mason
Heather Matthews
Fiona Matyas AC & John Matyas
Helen W. Menadue
Jan Messner
Brian Milton & Kristine Milton
Carlie Mitsikas
Bruno Moro
Dr Tony Morton
Jade O’Donohue
David Parsons & Fleur Telford
Prof. Margaret Plant OAM
Sue Podhorsky
Jan Power
Prof Stephen Rogerson & Dr Sheryle Rogerson
Professor Robert Skinner & Sally Skinner
Vera Smiljanic
George Smith & John Smith
Dr Jennifer Strauss AM
Tze Ping Tan
Annalise Thomas
Matthew Walker
Dr Anne Wallace & Peter West
Judy Ward
Donna Watmuff
James Wator
Robert Watts & Christine Watts
Anonymous
Kriss Will
Wei Zhang & Jeff Cameron

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

Related exhibition

Women Photographers 1900–1975: A Legacy of Light

28 Nov 25 – 3 May 26
NGV International

Find out more

Further information about making a gift to the NGV