A selection of publications recently supported by the Foundation
Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940, 2025
Edited by Elle Freak, Tracey Lock, Wayne Tunnicliffe. Co-published by the AGNSW and AGSA in conjunction with an exhibition of the same title. Cover detail: Grace Crowley, born Cobbadah, New South Wales 1890, died Sydney 1979, Les baigneuses (The bathers), 1928, Paris, oil on canvas on hardboard,45.2 × 64.2 cm; Gift of the artist 1979. National Gallery of Australia © estate of the artist.
Nusra Latif Qureshi: Birds in Far Pavilions, 2024
Edited by Matt Cox. Essays by Michael Brand, Julie Ewington, Sugata Ray, Esa Epstein and Robyn Adler. Published by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in conjunction with the exhibition of the same title, 9 November 2024 - 15 June 2025. Cover detail: Nusra Latif Qureshi Quiet leaves I, 2017
Carol Jerrems: Portraits, 2024
Edited by Isobel Parker Philip, this is the first monograph on the influential photographer Carol Jerrems, whose body of work is a defining artistic achievement of the late 20th century. Cover: Carol Jerrems, Judy Morris 1977, gelatin silver photograph, National Gallery of Australia, Gift of Mrs Joy Jerrems 1981 © The Estate of Carol Jerrems.
Our Story: Aboriginal Chinese People in Australia, 2025
Edited by Xiaoping Zhou, research project leader and exhibition curator, the book features essays by historians, personal stories from Aboriginal Chinese descendants, and works by eight contemporary artists. Accompanying exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, 10 April 2025 to 27 January 2026.
Turner & Australia, 2025
Edited by Simon Gregg, with essays by John Borrack, Jane Clark, Dr Alison Inglis AM, Dr Ted Gott, Simon Gregg, Sasha Grishin AM, Dr Sheridan Palmer, Dr Juliette Peers, Dr Ron Radford AM, and Tony Smibert AM. Published on the occasion of the major exhibition at Gippsland Art Gallery, and featuring over 300 colour reproductions, Turner & Australia examines the profound influence of J.M.W. Turner on two centuries of Australian art.
65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art, 2024
Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same title. Featuring twenty-five authors across generations and disciplines, the publication celebrates Indigenous Australian art across time, media and language. Edited by Professor Marcia Langton AO and Judith Ryan AM.
Chinese Toggles: Culture in Miniature, 2024
Min-Jung Kim and Chen Shuxia (eds). Contributors: Elizabeth A. Carter, Paul Donnelly, Meredith Freeman, Fang Gu, Thérèse Harrison, Min-Jung Kim, Lorraine Leung, Claire Roberts, Chen Shuxia, Brad Swarbrick. Published with assistance from the Pauline and Tim Harding Asian Exhibition fund.
marramarra: Indigenous artists making history visible, 2024
By Brook Garru Andrew and Jessica Neath. Cover image: Rebecca Belmore, detail from The Named and Unnamed, 2002. Image courtesy of the artist.
Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits, 2024
Accompanied by a major exhibition of the same name presented by the Centre for Contemporary Photography and hosted by RMIT Galleries, Auto-Photo: A Life in Portraits tells the story of Alan Adler, a man who is likely the most photographed person in Australia, and is also perhaps the oldest and longest-serving photobooth technician in the world. Commissioning Editor: Daniel Boetker-Smith; Editor: Catlin Langford. Design by Clayton Walker. Texts by Daniel Boetker-Smith, Catlin Langford, Dr. Patrick Pound, and featuring an interview with Alan Adler, Christopher Sutherland and Jessie Norman.
Inspired Images: The Art of Faiths, 2024
Authors: Michael K. Strong and Julia Jackson, Edited by Ann Baillie, Photography by Michael K. Strong and Bruce Cowell, Design by Andrae Pilcher, Published by the Board of the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology.
Aims, Guidelines and Application Procedures 2026
Aims
The Gordon Darling Foundation is a perpetual public charitable trust, established in 1991 to "support Australia-wide, activities of importance in the Visual Arts."
It will give priority to exhibitions of Australian art, and will also consider exhibitions of Asian, Pacific or other international art.
It will assist with the costs of research, travel, publication, to promote knowledge and enjoyment of all aspects of the visual arts to the widest possible audience.
The Foundation encourages applications Australia-wide.
Who can apply?
The Foundation can only provide funding to Public Institutions in Australia. Applicant organisations must have Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
Individuals wishing to apply for funding for projects must partner with a Public Institution which then takes on responsibility for the project.
The Trustees will normally award only one application per organisation in any twelve-month period. Darling Travel Grants are considered a separate funding stream and do not preclude an organisation from applying for or receiving a grant.
What we do
Funding may be provided for:
- catalogues and publications:
- that are scholarly, with well-researched new information.
- that provide a permanent record of an exhibition, collection, or work of an artist or movement.
- professional education initiatives, including individual professional development.
- collection management initiatives, including database development, digitisation and conservation.
- research projects leading to the recognition and publication of material of significance.
- internationally known speakers for symposia.
In relation to catalogue projects, preference will be given to exhibitions which will tour multiple venues, sharing costs, staff and experience.
Applications for international travel can only be made through the Darling Travel Grant / International program - see Application Procedures below.
What we don't do
The Foundation usually does not fund:
- capital works, acquisitions, prizes or commissions.
- general or core operational activities.
- retrospective funding.
- recurrent funding of a project or exhibition.
Guidelines for publication funding applications
In assessing applications for publication funding, several key factors will be considered, in addition to well-planned, scholarly content:
- pricing should be as accessible as possible and suited to anticipated audiences.
- print runs should be appropriate to reasonable anticipated demand.
- plans for distribution beyond the applicant’s venue/s should be noted, and are encouraged.
- circulating a large proportion of a print run as complimentary copies is usually discouraged, though gifts to a limited number of local, state and higher education libraries would be welcomed.
- the expectation is that exhibition catalogues will be available from the launch of the exhibition.
Grant reports received by the Foundation continue to show that publication print runs are often far in excess of sales, regardless of the quality of the publication. Applicants are encouraged to carefully consider anticipated sales when deciding on a print run.
The Foundation usually does not fund:
- publications to be given away.
- major publications which largely replicate existing publications.
- catalogues for commercial exhibitions.
- "vanity publications", whether of the institution, author or subject of the application.
- souvenir or promotional publications.
Application procedures
General Grant Program
- Read these guidelines to ensure that your project is a good fit.
- Contact the Gordon Darling Foundation to request the current year's application form:
- Email: - a brief description of your project would be advantageous.
- Phone: 03 9820 3168
- Applicants should phone the Foundation to discuss their proposed application prior to submission.
- Applications must be made using the current year's form and emailed to by 5pm (AEST/AEDT) on the closing date. The main application form should be submitted in the original Microsoft Word format. Supporting material should be submitted in A4 PDF format.
- Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by email.
- Applicants will be advised of outcomes by phone, and then by post.
Submissions will be examined by the Trustees of the Foundation three times a year.
The application closing dates for 2026 are:
Darling Travel Grants / International
The aim of these grants, offered once a year, is to provide visual arts professionals employed by Australian public institutions with the opportunity to undertake international travel. Travel must be for a specific purpose and deliver benefits for both the individual and the institution. Applicants should have written support from their Director or Board Chair to undertake the travel.
Applications for the 2026 Darling Travel Grants / International have now closed. Applications for 2027 will open in November 2026, with outcomes advised in early March 2027.