Inside the Eva and Marc Besen Centre are 64 large wire racks that store and display 300-odd artworks from the late couple’s collection – including paintings by Arthur Boyd, John Brack, Rosalie Gascoigne, John Olsen, Jeffrey Smart and Brett Whiteley. Some are curated thematically or by artist, and others are arranged to reflect how the paintings were displayed in the couple’s home.

One of these racks features a painting by Fred Williams, a triptych of the Lilydale quarry which is near TarraWarra Estate in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley, where the Besen family created a winery, and then a museum of art and now this centre, which opened in March. The couple commissioned Williams to paint it in 1974 and for 50 years it was displayed at the entrance to their home; they were bemused that the artist insisted on adding a few final touches after they’d hung it.