In May 2011, the Art Gallery of NSW announced the most extraordinary donation to an Australian public gallery - the gift of John Kaldors Family Collection. Built up over 50 years, the collection is a versatile representation of recent international art movements. A patron and supporter of contemporary art, John Kaldor has been one of Australia’s most dedicated collectors. Since the 1960s Kaldor has been acquiring the works of emerging artists, many of whom later became highly influential figures in the art world. Gallery director Edmund Capon expressed that "The John Kaldor Collection is the most important collection of late 20th century avant-garde art in Australia. This unique collection is an exemplary vision of one man on behalf of his family. This is a gift that will forever be a milestone in the history of this gallery.”1
Comprising over 200 works, the collection includes in-depth representations of Christo, Jeanne-Claude, Jeff Koons, Sol LeWitt, Robert Rauschenberg, Ugo Rondinone among others. Minimalism is a cornerstone, with impressive works by Donald Judd, Carl Andre and Frank Stella. There is a strong performative element, including works by Gilbert & George, Richard Long and Francis Alÿs. There is also an exceptional compilation of German photography with key works by Andreas Gursky, Thomas Struth and Thomas Demand. Video art that ranges from Nam June Paik to Bill Viola and Shaun Gladwell are also apart of the collection. ¹
Sol LeWitts work holds a particular predominance within the collection due to the pieces scale as well as its dynamism. LeWitt has been referred to as the father of Minimalism and Conceptual art - some say he coined the latter term. LeWitt's 1977 Kaldor Public Art Project adorned an entire wall of the AGNSW: straight, curved and broken lines as well as tessellating shapes adorned the space from floor to ceiling.¹ In 1998, he filled a room of the MCA with glossy acrylic surfaces that echoed the curves and waves of the building's architecture. For the new gallery, the Sol LeWitt Studio installed five site-specific wall drawings and paintings, including a re-creation of an entire painted room from John Kaldor's home. The sculpture ‘Pyramid,’ from 2005, seems to shift as you walk around. LeWitt made use of a system of interlocking, equally-sized geometric shapes, showing his interest in repetition and seriality. Its structure echoes a type of pyramidal tower known as a ziggurat – an architectural form that was thoroughly considered within LeWitts research.
The John Kaldor Collection extensively compliments and extends the Art Gallery of NSW contemporary collection. “The Kaldor family aren't just buyers, they're instigators: they've brought not just artists and artworks to our shores but whole ideas about art.”2
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