$100 million donated to NGV Contemporary

The Fox family have donated $100 million to Melbourne’s new NGV Contemporary art gallery, making it the largest cultural gift for a capital program to an Australian art museum by a living donor.

In recognition of their longstanding philanthropic support of the NGV and their extraordinary donation, billionaire trucking magnates Lindsay and Paula Fox have secured naming rights with the new building to be named ‘The Fox: NGV Contemporary’.

The Fox family is behind Australia's biggest private logistics company Linfox, which has more than 5,000 trucks across 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific. To put the donation into perspective, Forbes estimates Mr Fox’s net worth as $2.9 billion.

The gift coincides with the 85th birthday of Mr Fox.

Of the extraordinary gift, Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, Danny Pearson notes “Philanthropy can transform cities and NGV Contemporary will be a true game-changer. It will be one of the largest galleries dedicated to contemporary art and design in the world and a global architectural icon.’

The Victorian government said it hoped the move would encourage "further philanthropic support for the project", with the donation building on the existing $20 million donated by the Ian Potter Foundation in 2020.

NGV Director Tony Ellwood advised “We are truly astonished by this extraordinary act of giving from the Fox family …This gift is a testament to their strong sense of civic pride and their belief in the accessibility of the arts to all members of our community. This awe-inspiring donation will ensure that Victoria remains a centre of artistic excellence for many generations to come and that The Fox: NGV Contemporary will be a source of community pride for all Victorians, as well as a meaningful cultural legacy for the Fox family.”

The Fox: NGV Contemporary is the centrepiece of the Victorian Government’s $1.7 billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation which also includes upgrades to the Arts Centre Melbourne, as well as Arts Centre Melbourne's new Centre for Creativity.

The planned precinct will showcase art, design and fashion as well as national and international architecture, and will feature an 18,000 square metre public space.

The winning design of the NGV Contemporary by Angelo Candalepas and Associates was unveiled last month and will include arched entries, 13,000 square metres of display space, an expansive rooftop sculpture terrace and restaurant with views of Melbourne’s CBD, parklands and beyond to the Yarra Ranges.

The new site in Southbank is expected to be finished in 2028.