The Qantas Foundation has given $2.5 million as a corporate gift to promote contemporary Australian art overseas.
The Flying Kangaroo along with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) and Tate today announced a new International Joint Acquisition Program for contemporary Australia art.
Made possible through the Qantas Foundation donation, the collaboration will see the groups work together to acquire pieces for the MCA and Tate.
Running for five years, each piece collected by the Program will be owned and displayed in both institutions.
Artworks to be acquired will range across media and expected to date from the late 1960s through to the present. This will enhance both organisation’s holdings of Australian art, while transforming the opportunities for international audiences to connect with contemporary Australian art and artists.
Following the Qantas Foundation’s gift, the MCA and Tate will coordinate the research and acquisition of selected artists’ works. A selection of the first artworks acquired will be presented at the MCA in 2016, before heading to Tate.
Qantas Group Executive of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Olivia Wirth, said the airline is taking the ‘best of Australia to world’.
“Qantas has a long history of supporting the arts including the Flying Art series and Qantas Foundation Encouragement of Australian Contemporary Art Awards, and we are thrilled to be extending our contribution with this program,” she said.
“We look forward to celebrating Australian artists and their work on the world stage.”
Olivia Wirth, Qantas Group Executive of Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs
The MCA and Tate will now begin their research with the aim of acquiring a number of major pieces over the next five years.
