US-based Kiwis donated an art work by Salvador Dali to the Te Papa Foundation in Wellington. PHOTO/BBC
US-based Kiwis donated an art work by Salvador Dali to the Te Papa Foundation in Wellington. PHOTO/BBC
Over $1.45 million worth of artwork and donations was gifted to the Te Papa Foundation at its inaugural event.
The charitable trust was launched by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy tonight to raise funds for the national museum in Wellington.
Foundation chairman Alastair Carruthers said he hoped that over the next 10 years the Te Papa Foundation would raise over $50 million to fund acquisitions, education and public programmes.
"As a national museum and as the holder of the national art collection, Te Papa's mandate is broad but its acquisition budget is slight.
"The Te Papa Foundation will enable Te Papa to preserve more of New Zealand's history, culture and art, to take its education programmes to more students, and to share more of our stories."
Te Papa has an annual acquisition budget of $3 million across all disciplines: art, mātauranga Māori, science, history and culture. It has an annual operating budget of $60 million, of which around half comes from the Crown. The remainder is raised by the museum through commercial activity, partnerships and donations.
US-based Kiwi couple Dr Euan Sinclair and his wife Ann Sinclair donated seven works worth over $100,000 from their extensive modern art collection including work from Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Joan Miro.
US-based financial trader Dr Euan Sinclair bequeathed two works by Jackson Pollock to the Te Papa Foundation. PHOTO/Kate Whitley
Dr Sinclair also bequeathed two works by Jackson Pollock to the national art collection on his death. The works - a painting and a drawing - have a combined value of over $1 million.
Dr Sinclair is a US-based financial trader whose lifelong passion for modern and surrealist art was sparked by a visit to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery as a boy.
"I've benefited greatly from being exposed to art and I hope these gifts can give this same benefit to other New Zealanders."
Other gifts announced on the night included two New Zealand works by art collectors Aoysius and Eileen Teh, and cash gifts around $600,000.
Carruthers said the inaugural gifts showed that philanthropy in New Zealand had come of age.
"New Zealanders are increasingly choosing to give during their lifetime, so they can see first-hand the results of their generosity.
"The Sinclairs' generous and visionary gift will bring works into the national collection that Te Papa might never have acquired.
"These works will enable New Zealanders to see some of the world's greatest artists on their home soil, and spark fascinating conversations with New Zealand works in the collection."
Images of the artworks cannot be provided for copyright reasons.
