QAGOMA Medal

The QAGOMA Medal by renowned Queensland jeweller and Collection artist Barbara Heath. / View full image

The QAGOMA Medal, presented annually at the Foundation Annual Dinner, recognises transformative contributions and outstanding service to the Gallery.

Designed and produced by renowned Queensland jeweller and QAGOMA Collection artist Barbara Heath, the medal's design incorporates an iconic breezeway lattice pattern found in many Queensland homes and a cascade of silver ‘water’ droplets representing nourishing and cultivating rain.

QAGOMA Medallists

2026

Paul Spiro

A respected figure in Brisbane’s business and arts communities, Paul Spiro served on the QAG Foundation Council, which became the QAGOMA Foundation Committee in 2013, from 2005 to 2019. During this period, Paul was a significant advocate in the establishment of the Foundation’s specialised giving circles, the Future Collective and Contemporary Patrons. Former Executive Chairman of the Brisbane and Adelaide offices of leading Australian law firm, Gadens, Paul was instrumental in shaping the company’s culture of creativity and commitment to the arts, forging a relationship with the Gallery that has continued for over 35 years. Under Paul’s stewardship, Gadens supported the Gallery to acquire important artworks, was a Major Partner on significant exhibitions, and joined QAGOMA’s Chairman’s Circle and Reconciliation Circle groups as founding members.

2025

The Neilson Foundation

Since 2015, the benefaction of Kerr Neilson, Paris Neilson and Beau Neilson through the Neilson Foundation has has supported the creation of two major QAGOMA Learning initiatives and the presentation of six major exhibitions. In addition to contributing to three major public art commissions — Judy Watson’s tow row 2016, James Turrell’s Night Life 2018 and Tony Albert and Nell’s interactive play sculpture The Big Hose 2022–25 — the Foundation has enabled the acquisition of major artworks, including Gordon Bennett’s Bloodlines 1993, Tomás Saraceno’s Drift: A cosmic web of thermodynamic rhythms 2022 and an extraordinary group of 45 culturally and historically important Queensland Aboriginal painted shields.

2024

Archie Moore and Ellie Buttrose

Curated by Ellie Buttrose, Kamilaroi/Bigambul artist Archie Moore’s kith and kin 2024 was the first Australia Pavilion exhibition to be awarded the Venice Biennale’s prestigious Golden Lion for Best National Participation. kith and kin is a deeply intelligent and visually powerful creative work, one that acknowledges the unbroken ancestral lineage of Australian First Peoples over millennia while drawing attention to the high rates of incarceration and number of deaths in custody in this country. A landmark in the careers of both artist and curator, kith and kin is a culmination of Moore and Buttrose’s respective nuanced and thoughtful work to date, and a promise of their future projects. Their success in Venice was a historic moment, not only for this singular Australian artistic endeavour, but also for First Nations Australian contemporary art on a global stage.

2023

Philip Bacon AO

Philip Bacon AO's remarkable philanthropic contributions include the transformational gifts of Ian Fairweather’s iconic Gethsemane 1958, Arthur Boyd’s The lady and the unicorn (portfolio) 1975, Edgar Degas’s Danseuse regardant la plante de son pied droit, quatrième étude (Dancer looking at the sole of her right foot, fourth study) c.1882–1900, cast before 1954 — in memory of his dear friend, artist Margaret Olley AC — and the acquisition of Eugène von Guérard’s A view from Mt Franklin towards Mount Kooroocheang and the Pyrenees c.1864. Philip Bacon served on the Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2017 and has played a crucial role in steering the QAGOMA Foundation as a member of the Foundation Committee since 2013.

2022

Dr Paul Eliadis AM

Dr Paul Eliadis AM's remarkable support has enriched the Collection since 1992. Among the 84 artworks he has gifted are major paintings by Ian Burn and Juan Davila, and a group of works on paper by Gordon Bennett. Paul’s support has also enhanced the Gallery’s international photography collection, with the addition of the signature work Onile Gogoro Or Akaba 1975 by JD ‘Okhai Ojeikere, as well as the ‘Twentyfive apartments’ series 1965/2003 and Vacant Lots 1970/2003 by Edward Ruscha. In addition to his gift of three series from Tracey Moffatt’s ‘Spirit landscapes’ 2013, Paul’s support of Moffatt’s Australian Pavilion project at the 2017 Venice Biennale resulted in his gifting to the Gallery the entire group of the artist’s works shown in Venice, as well as her 2019 series, ‘Portals’.

2021

Avril Quaill

Aboriginal artist, curator and arts advocate Avril Quaill is a proud Nunukul woman and was the inaugural Chair of the Gallery’s Indigenous Advisory Panel. Her contributions to the Gallery, which include her service as a Gallery Trustee from 2011–17, have greatly enhanced its engagement with First Nations peoples and the broader Australian cultural landscape. As Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Panel, she was a guiding force in the development of the Gallery’s first Reconciliation Action Plan. A founder of Sydney’s pioneering Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Avril has held curatorial positions with the National Gallery of Australia and QAGOMA and has served as Artistic Director of both the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and the Quandamooka Festival.

2019

Ah Xian

Artist Ah Xian’s deep engagement with QAGOMA spans two decades, beginning with the inclusion of exquisite porcelain busts from his ‘China, China’ series in The 3rd Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT3) in 1999. In 2003, the Gallery presented a solo exhibition of Ah Xian’s works, including the acclaimed, life-sized sculpture Human human – lotus, cloisonné figure 1 2001. Ah Xian featured prominently in The China Project (2009) with his series of 36 bronze busts titled ‘Metaphysica’, before a group of the works toured to 14 venues across regional Queensland for Ah Xian: Metaphysica (2013–15). An important suite of early paintings formed Ah Xian: Heavy Wounds in 2014, and in 2016, the Gallery’s Children’s Art Centre presented the interactive project Ah Xian: Naturephysica.

2018

Cathryn Mittelheuser AM

Cathryn Mittelheuser's support has enriched the Gallery’s holdings across several collecting areas, particularly of Indigenous Australian art and works by important female artists, including Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori’s powerful Dibirdibi Country 2012; a vibrant group of Amata women’s paintings commissioned for the Collection; and major works by Mavis Ngallametta and Nora Wompi. In addition, Cathryn has consistently supported the Foundation’s annual Appeals over more than 20 years. Cathryn shared her passion for art and philanthropy with her beloved sister, the late Margaret Mittelheuser AM. Together they supported the Gallery over many years, creating an enduring legacy that Cathryn has continued since Margaret’s passing in 2013.

2017

James C. Sourris AM

The James C. Sourris AM Collection spans several contemporary collecting areas. In particular, it has enriched the Gallery’s holdings of Indigenous Australian art, including works by important Brisbane artists Vernon Ah Kee, Tony Albert and Richard Bell. Also represented are significant works by Gordon Bennett, Jon Cattapan, Tim Johnson, Luke Roberts, Anne Wallace and Judy Watson. James C. Sourris AM has also played a role in steering the Gallery’s Foundation over many years, serving on the Foundation Council and its Fund Investment Committee, and the Foundation Committee.

2016

Pamela Barnett

Pamela Barnett's decades of passionate service to guiding and sharing her extensive knowledge of the Gallery’s Collection enriched countless visitor experiences and contributed significantly to the development of a strong and vibrant volunteer community. Since joining the first intake of guides in 1981, her gift of time to the institution has amounted to many thousands of hours. A Foundation member since 1985, Pamela has also supported the Collection, gifting a group of Australian ceramics and supporting the acquisition of three major works in memory of her husband, David Barnett.

2015

Win Schubert AO

Win Schubert’s exceptional patronage enabled the Gallery to acquire more than one hundred artworks for the Collection, key among them Cai Guo‑Qiang’s Heritage 2013, which represents the most substantial donation of funds ever made to the Gallery for the acquisition of a single artwork. Win Schubert’s program of gifting and support for the purchase of major works revolutionised the Gallery’s holdings of historical and contemporary Asian, Australian, Indigenous Australian and international art.

2014

Richard W.L. Austin AO OBE

Richard Austin’s leadership was instrumental in shaping and building the Gallery’s now internationally-renowned collection of Asian and Pacific art. From the outset of his appointment as Chairman (1987–1995), Austin actively encouraged the Gallery to take a more serious account of historical and contemporary Asian art, and was instrumental in instigating the Asia Pacific Triennial, promoting dialogue between the Gallery and the art and artists of Asia and the Pacific.