Lachlan Murdoch emerges in Melbourne after family saga explodes

It’s always hard to resist making Succession comparisons when it comes to the lives of the Murdochs, and Thursday night in South Yarra was no exception.

Lachlan Murdoch appeared at the opening of a Melbourne art gallery, amid the fallout from a bitter legal battle that exposed a feud in the family’s powerful media empire.

Among flowing drinks, prestigious art and famous faces, all that seemed to be missing was a haunting string section underscoring the proceedings.

Murdoch and wife Sarah attended the opening of artist Vincent Fantauzzo’s gallery and soft launch of his book at the Chapel Street venue.

He was introduced to the glitzy gathering – attended by a slew of celebrities and VIPs – by TabCorp CEO and ex-AFL boss Gillon McLachlan.

The fallout over the Murdoch empire – which pitted Rupert and Lachlan against the three other children, Prudence, Elisabeth and James – gripped the world.

In a bitter legal battle in a closed Nevada courtroom last year, the trio challenged a plan to change the family trust and disenfranchise all the siblings other than Lachlan.

Taking over from father Keith, who founded the empire, Rupert built it into a massively influential multibillion-dollar enterprise across several decades and had hoped to give Lachlan sole control to ensure it maintained its conservative tone.

The court dismissed an attempt to alter the terms of a family trust, which hold the shares that control the empire.

Then two lengthy articles about the fight for control of the empire – in The New York Times and The Atlantic, which included extensive interviews with James – confirmed long-held suspicions that the family drama had unfolded behind closed doors within the powerful dynasty.

But all this couldn’t upstage man-of-the-hour Fantauzzo, however, who was surrounded by rock stars, football and acting royalty.

Among the star power in the room was Collingwood captain Darcy Moore and Jet frontman Nic Cester, both of whom have served as subjects for the artist’s hyper-realistic portraiture.

Images of Neale Daniher and the late Heath Ledger were also among the works watching silently over the gathered crowd.

“I met Lachlan a while back at a motorbike grand prix, and I watched him in a crowd – he was with his son – and I could see this amazing relationship between him and his son. He was being hounded by photographers, and they both kept an eye on each other,” Fantauzzo said.

“I thought it was very beautiful, and I did a sketch based on that, and we became mates. Being such a busy guy, I have a lot of respect him having that relationship with his kids.”

Fantauzzo said he was unaware of the recent developments in the Murdoch family.

The artist has painted former prime minister Julia Gillard, exhibited globally and won numerous awards. He is married to actor Asher Keddie, who is a close friend of Sarah Murdoch.

He said the gallery space, which features a bar upstairs, came together in two weeks.

“It was an empty space, and in that two weeks it’s been like The Block! I’ve had incredible people running around,” he said.

“It’s a bit of an eclectic mix – some of [the works] are from the past, some are new, and there’s a new exhibition based on the book.”

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