Lindsey Hogg has spent 40 years amassing what is arguably Australia's most valuable private art collection almost entirely in secret. Now he wants to give it all away to the people of Victoria.

The scope of Hogg's collection, which is conservatively valued at $500 million, has never before been revealed, in part because of the extraordinary lengths the Melbourne businessman has taken to keep it a secret, including using a fake name to navigate the art world.