100 Years of the Felton BequestPrint Page 
Location
| Address: | 180 St Kilda Road, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 3006 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.822103 Long: 144.968803 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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| Monument Theme: | Culture |
| Sub-Theme: | Community |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1904 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 2004 |
| Artist: | Clive Murray-White |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2004 |
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Clive Murray-White
English / Australian 1946 -
Alfred Felton Centenary Sculpture
2004
Marble
Commemorating 100 years of the Felton Bequest 1904 - 2004
Felton Bequest, 2004
The Alfred Felton Centenary Sculpture honours the incomparable generosity of businessman and philanthropist Alfred Felton who died in 1904. Under the terms of his will a bequest was establish to support culture and the community, with half the funding benefiting Victorian charities (particualrly those that support women and children) and the other half used to acquire and donate art works to the National Gallery of Victoria. Over the past 100 years more than 15,000 art works have been acquired through the Felton Bequest.
On receiving the commission for the Alfred Felton Centenary Sculpture, Clive Murray-White dedcided to create a reasoned and informed invention of the great philanthropist Alfred Felton, that is, a 'composite' portrait that would have substance, depth and a genuine sense of life.
The Feltom commission is composed of fine grained marble from a site near Chillagoe, 200 kms west of Cairns in North Queensland - an exceptionally high quality and uniquely Australian material. The artist travelled there to select a large piece or marble that would suit his intention of producing a colossal head that would be imbued with Felton`s generosity of spirit and caring for the community.
