Long time arts philanthropists Simon Mordant AO and Catriona Mordant AM have turned their focus to Newcastle Art Gallery with the gift of 25 artworks from their private collection. The announcement today (Monday 30 June) came with the close of the financial year, underscoring the win-win scenario when giving artworks to cultural institutions.
It is a win especially felt in the regional gallery sector, which has been hard hit with a decline in government funding. Newcastle Art Gallery was lucky in the most recent funding round, ahead of its reopening in early 2026 after a major refurbishment, doubling its size.
The Mordant artworks are the largest gift received in the Gallery’s history – and the largest the couple have gifted to any one institution – and will be a focus of “a special exhibition in 2026 honouring their generosity to Newcastle Art Gallery,” says the Gallery’s Director, Lauretta Morton OAM.
She continues: “I was quite overwhelmed to be invited to review their collection and select works of art that represented the vision for our reimagined gallery – to be locally grounded, nationally engaged and globally minded. Such is the significance of this gift.”
Simon Mordant says adds: “Catriona and I believe that art should be seen and enjoyed by the widest possible audience. In considering Australian and international institutions to be recipients of part of our collection, built over almost 40 years, we looked for organisations where we believed in their leadership and their ambition.”
It is a great compliment to Newcastle Art Gallery on its legacy and its future.
The gifted works include paintings, photography, textiles, installations, prints and sculptures by Australian and international artists Ian Abdulla, María Fernanda Cardoso, Brent Harris, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, Janet Laurence, Hiroyuki Kita, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Jamie North, Raquel Ormella, Sangeeta Sandrasegar, Tim Silver, Gemma Smith, Yuken Teruya, Brendan Van Hek and John Young.
One of the highlights is Make out (Shadow box 8) (2008) by Mexican-Canadian media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, an interactive digital work featuring thousands of internet videos of couples who turn from looking at each other to kissing the moment the viewer steps in front, introducing the idea of surveillance, and questioning what is public and private.
Powerhouse attracts $1 million in philanthropic support
Also announced today with the close of the financial year, Roy Medich OAM and his son Anthony Medich, under the umbrella of the Medich Foundation, have donated $1 million to Powerhouse Parramatta.
The gift will enable the establishment of the 55-seat Medich Foundation Cinema and will support the Powerhouse film program.
The Medich Foundation Cinema will be a fully accessible, state-of-the-art cinema that will feature film screenings and speaker events embedded within the museum’s program.
The Powerhouse film program aims to support the Australian film industry through the commissioning of new works, offering fellowships to emerging artists, and providing valuable networking and mentoring opportunities.
Roy Medich says of the gift: “We are pleased to continue our family legacy of supporting cultural experiences for people in Western Sydney, which is why we’re partnering with the first state cultural institution located in this region, Powerhouse Parramatta.”
In 1952 brothers Peter (father of Roy) and Lubo Medich purchased the Protea Cinema, renamed the Royal Theatre, in Cabramatta, kicking off a legacy of cinema in Western Sydney. They added two additional theatres, The Royal at Chester Hill and The Regal in Liverpool, then the Liverpool drive-in cinema, a joint venture with Greater Union. The Medich family later diversified their business to include film production, with Medich Production becoming the first independent film producer in Australia to make a major investment in international film production in 1973.
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Roy Medich continues: “Our family has long held the view that communities deserve direct access to world-class cultural experiences and, for the first time ever, Western Sydney will have a major cultural institution at its heart. This project will have a transformative impact on Western Sydney that will be felt for generations to come.”
Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah adds, “This collaboration is more than an investment – it is a tribute to the enduring impact the Medich family has had on shaping the cultural fabric of Sydney.”
