Eva Besen AO and Marc Besen AC
It was on their honeymoon in 1950 that Marc Besen AC and the late Eva Besen AO first developed their shared interest in visual art. As they drove throughout Europe for six months, visiting art museums became a special joy for them. They returned to Australia with a passion to collect the Australian art of their time and within a decade they were identifying and sourcing exceptional works, building a collection that would become acclaimed within 50 years. They focused on the works of younger artists and over the years made friends with many of them, including Fred Williams, Clifton Pugh, Albert Tucker, John Perceval and John Olsen.