SA’s visionary arts benefactor dies M. J. M ‘Max’ Carter dies age 97

The visionary philanthropist is responsible for gifting South Australia about 1400 precious works worth tens of millions of dollars.

Visionary South Australian philanthropist M. J. M “Max” Carter, AO, has died at age 97, prompting an outpouring of accolades from the arts world.

Mr Carter has been remembered as one of the Art Gallery of SA’s most influential benefactors, with some 1400 precious works valued at $42 million in its collections as his legacy.

His gifts of Australian art – including works by Arthur Streeton, Charles Conder, Frederick McCubbin and Tom Roberts – helped catapult the North Terrace cultural landmark to international significance.

“Max’s boundless enthusiasm, passion and energy, love of the arts and the Gallery will forever be remembered,’’AGSA Director Rhana Devenport, ONZM, said. “His life’s mission of significant philanthropy, the unparalleled impact of his giving to AGSA, and the way his quiet example motivated and inspired so many others were immeasurably transformative.

“Our AGSA family – past and present – are immensely saddened by this loss.’’

SA arts benefactor Max Carter in 2006 with an exhibition catalogue of paintings he donated.

Michael John Maxwell Carter was born into a prominent and wealthy SA business family in 1926. While his great love was the arts, Mr Carter was also involved in the Roy Carter Foundation, named after his father who founded Austral Steel, which supported Legacy, Novita (then the Crippled Children’s Association), Helping Hand Inc., and helped establish Westminster School.

First visiting the Art Gallery as an impressionable boy of 11, Max Carter went on to become one of its most prolific supporters from the 1960s to the present. His name is synonymous with a visit to its iconic Elder Wing, where Gallery 1 is named in his honour.

He was driven by a deep desire to see his home state at the cutting edge of cultural engagement and excellence.

SA arts benefactor Max Carter in 2006 with a painting he donated to the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Former Lord Mayor of Adelaide and chair of the Art Gallery board Sandy Verschoor paid tribute to ‘‘a passionate and dedicated philanthropist whose legacy will be enjoyed by audiences well into the future’’. “Max’s generosity has inspired countless supporters and has benefited the state of SA immeasurably,’’ Ms Verschoor said.

Awarded the Order of Australia in 1985, Mr Carter served for 20 years on the gallery’s board − second only in longevity to renowned landscape artist Sir Hans Heysen. In 1981, Mr Carter became a founding member of the Art Gallery of SA Foundation.

Widely travelled, he was an enthusiastic donor to the gallery’s Asian Art collection, with a lifelong love of Chinese porcelain, Japanese netsuke, Indian and Southeast Asian art.

Max Carter donated four rare 9x5 paintings worth nearly $3 million to the Art Gallery of South Australia. The artists include Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton. 9 by 5 paintings are so called because many were painted on cigar box lids.

Max Carter AO. Picture: Supplied

However his philanthropy had the most profound impact on the Australian art collection, turning it into one of international standing with an extraordinary 200 gifts.

Many of Mr Carter’s gifts are on permanent display as cornerstones of the collection.

Tracey Lock, curator of Australian art, said Mr Carter left “an indelible mark in the art world’’. ‘He is one of those special people who come along once in a generation,’’ she said.

Curator of Asian Art Russell Kelty said Mr Carter’s contributions spoke to his “curiosity about other cultures and his understanding of the important role that art can play in creating a bridge between us and our nearest neighbours’’.

Ms Davenport said Mr Carter’s legacy would continue to inspire and resonate with Art Gallery of SA visitors every day.

In 1993, AGSA celebrated Mr Carter’s love of Australian art with the exhibition and book, The M.J.M. Carter Collection: A Private View of Australian Art. In 2006, to mark his 80th birthday it staged a tribute exhibition, M.J.M. Carter Collection: The Joy of Giving. To mark his 90th year in 2016, Mr Carter gave six paintings to the Gallery, including Charles Conder’s masterpiece, Hayfield, Giverny, France, 1894.

Most recently, he supported the ambitious AGSA 500 publication, a landmark publication that celebrates 500 key works of art in the state’s collection.