He's anything but a household name, but Ben Heller is responsible for putting the Australian arts scene on the map.
More than 45 years ago, the powerhouse New York art collector sold Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles to the fledgling National Gallery of Australia for $1.3 million, sparking years of debate about the painting's value and its place in our artistic identity.
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Tom McIlroy is the Financial Review’s Canberra bureau chief based in the press gallery at Parliament House. He was previously the AFR’s political correspondent. Connect with Tom on Twitter. Email Tom at thomas.mcilroy@afr.com
