QAGOMA Foundation Annual Dinner

25th Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and 24th Governor of Queensland, the Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO; QAGOMA Foundation Committee President, Ms Liz Pidgeon and Members of the Foundation Committee; Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees, Chair, Mr Paul Taylor AM, and Board Members; QAGOMA Director, Mr Chris Saines CNZM; Former Foundation President, Mr Tim Fairfax AC, and Mrs Gina Fairfax AC; Chair of the Gallery’s Indigenous Advisory Panel, Mr David Williams; Gallery medallists; Foundation Members and their guests; donors and supporters; volunteers, distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera peoples, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this evening, and I thank Tribal Experiences for their Welcome to Country.  

As Joint Patrons of the QAGOMA Foundation, Graeme and I are delighted to be among such generous Queenslanders, who love the arts — and art — as much as we do. This is the final Annual Foundation Dinner we will attend as Patrons, and it has been incredibly meaningful for both of us to support an organisation that does so much to further creative expression in our state.

I think it is fair to say that the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art would not be what they are without the immense contributions of donors and benefactors.  

In fact, when the Queensland National Art Gallery—the forerunner of today’s QAGOMA—opened in Brisbane’s Town Hall in March 1895, its first exhibition was underpinned by a group of Flemish and Dutch still-life paintings bequeathed by Mr Thomas Lodge Murray-Prior.

Murray-Prior’s collection was donated on the understanding that the Government would find a suitable place to house the artworks, because the Town Hall’s temporary exhibition room was shared with municipal engineering staff busily working away in their partitioned offices and was subject to extreme noise from Queen Street’s traffic and the “incoherent cries of omnibus and tramway men”.  

I am sure Murray-Prior would be thrilled with the incredible, purpose-built facility in South Bank’s cultural precinct, that in June 1982, finally became the Queensland Art Gallery’s permanent home. He would also be proud to know that his large donation has been exponentially enhanced by the philanthropic endeavours of the Foundation’s members, who since 1979, have helped raise over $210 million, and enabled the Gallery to acquire more than 11,500 artworks—over half of its collection.

From the beginning, there was a strong conviction among the Gallery’s supporters that access to art would enrich Queensland’s cultural life.

Since then, opinions about the power of art to entertain, captivate and challenge have become much more informed and mature, and I am confident the million-plus diverse visitors who walk through QAGOMA each year would agree.

QAGOMA brings people exceptional experiences, including international exhibitions—most recently, Olafur Eliasson’s Presence—exciting visual art acquisitions, and a dazzling array of programs and events; while the Unlocking the Collection digitisation project is opening up access to even more people globally.

If not for the foresight and outstanding altruism of people who are passionate about supporting creators and their works, such initiatives would not be possible.  

The names of some of the most generous donors adorn the gallery’s spaces, honouring their extraordinary benefaction. However, we applaud every person’s generosity that enables QAGOMA to enrich its offering.

In 1895, Sir Samuel Griffith, the first Chair of the Trustees, expressed hope that the modest collection at the time would “form the nucleus of a gallery that will be a credit to Queensland and an attraction to its capital”.

With your support, and the astute leadership of QAGOMA and the Foundation, you have made this a reality. Your contributions are building a future for Queensland that will continue to celebrate originality and courage in the visual arts.

Thank you all for your valuable dedication, and for making our five years of patronage so rewarding.