A bequest to Geelong Gallery is a precious gift and most generous way of making a lasting contribution to the Gallery. Such a legacy will enable present and future generations to draw inspiration and have transformative experiences from this much-loved institution.

Making a bequest in your Will is a straightforward process. After considering your family and loved ones, you can make a real and positive difference to Greater Geelong’s community and cultural landscape.

The Gallery maintains a permanent record of its benefactors and will acknowledge your generosity in a manner you feel appropriate or anonymously. We will always respect your wishes.

Your generosity is Geelong Gallery’s future. Download our Bequest brochure and our How to make a bequest—a form for Wills and Estates guide.

We are happy to discuss how you can support the Gallery and any personal requests or special areas of interest you may have. For more information about our bequest program, please contact the Gallery on 03 5229 3645 or info@geelonggallery.org.au

By notifying us of your bequest, you will be invited to become a member of the Geelong Gallery Foundation's Hitchcock Society. The Hitchcock Society acknowledges its members, past and present, encourages future bequests and holds events to thank and celebrate the generosity of its members.

Dorothy McAllister Bequest—provides funds for the acquisition of early British (1780–1820) and Australian porcelain as well as examples of work by Geelong’s Colonial silversmiths.

Sybil Craig Bequest—provides funds for the acquisition of works on paper.

Dr Colin Holden Bequest—provides funds to ensure the Gallery will continue to collect, exhibit and research in the field of Australian and International printmaking.

John and Bette Mann—provides funds to support young Australian artists by enabling the Gallery to acquire their works for the collection.

Margery Rix Bequest—provides funds to present exhibitions and acquire works of art for the enjoyment and education of
our community.

JB Ryan Perpetual Trust—provides funds for the acquisition of works of art.

In September 2018 Geelong Gallery received notification of a bequest from the Estate of John Norman Mann, a local resident and member of the Gallery along with his wife. As outlined in its terms, the bequest provided funds for the acquisition of works by contemporary Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian artists.

In the first eighteen months of acquisitions, this collection-transforming bequest has enabled the Gallery to secure works aligned with the donor’s wishes by artists on our priority list and in a number of instances, acquire works that have featured in our exhibition program (ensuring the relationships we build with artists through exhibition opportunities is enduring, through their representation in the collection).

In 2018, works by Simone Slee, Adam Pyett and Brett Colquhoun were acquired, joined in the following year with works by Mulkun Wirrpanda, Steven Rendall, Louise Weaver, Julia Gorman, Cricket Saleh and Robert Boynes. An additional work by Adam Pyett—Eucalyptus leaves and flowers (2019)—was purchased in late 2019 as a complement to the earlier acquisition of Afternoon light in the You Yangs (2017–18). And, Danila Vassilieff's You Yangs with car (1938), was purchased in 2020.