Eliezer Levi Montefiore (1820 – 22 October 1894) was a businessman, art enthusiast, and the first director of the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

. Montefiore was born in

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

to merchant Isaac Jacob Levi (who also had a home in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

) and his wife Esther Hannah Montefiore, who was first cousin to

Sir Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, aft ...

. His elder brother was

Jacob Levi Montefiore Jacob Levi Montefiore (11 January 1819 – 24 January 1885) was a British businessman and financier known for his activities in the Australian colony of New South Wales. Early life He was born at Bridgetown in Barbados to merchant Isaac Jacob ...

, who was for some years a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. Along with the New South Wales Legislative As ...

. Both brothers adopted the name "Levi Montefiore". Montefiore, who was known for his passion for art, arrived in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

by 1843, and married his cousin Esther Hannah Barrow Montefiore (

Joseph Barrow Montefiore Joseph Barrow Montefiore (24 June 1803 – 8 September 1893), merchant and financier, was the youngest son of Eliezer Montefiore, merchant, of Barbados and London, and his wife, Judith (née Barrow). Montefiore was born on 24 June 1803 in Londo ...

's daughter) there on 3 May 1848. The couple moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in 1853, after Eliezer had been appointed manager of the Melbourne branch of his brother Jacob's firm, Montefiore, Graham & Co. He left the firm to become secretary of the Australasian Insurance Co., and was appointed justice of the peace, but his interests lay in literature and the arts. He co-founded the

Victorian Academy of Arts The Victorian Artists Society, which can trace its establishment to 1856 in Melbourne, promotes artistic education, art classes and gallery hire exhibition in Australia. It was formed in March 1888 when the Victorian Academy of Arts (previously V ...

in 1870, awarding prizes at the Sydney Intercolonial Exhibition for the Academy. Montefiore was also a talented artist in his own right, publishing sketches and

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

s. He was elected to the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. It is the oldest learned society in the Southern Hemisphere. The Society traces its ...

in 1875. After moving to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, he was involved in the founding of the

New South Wales Academy of Art The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

(later the Art Gallery of New South Wales) along with his friend

Thomas Sutcliffe Mort Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (23 December 18169 May 1878) was an Australian industrialist who improved the refrigeration of meat. He was renowned for speculation in the local sheep, pastoral industry as well as industrial activities such as his Ice-W ...

, and was the first director of the gallery from 1892 until his death in 1894.
Published online 2014
and now known as the ''Art Journal''.] In August 1894 he travelled to Melbourne and Adelaide to assess artworks for exchange with the NSW Art Gallery. He died at

Woollahra Woollahra ( ) is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local go ...

on 22 October 1894. Montefiore Crescent, in the Canberra suburb of Conder, is named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montefiore, Eliezer Levi 1820 births 1894 deaths Australian Sephardi Jews 19th-century Australian artists Directors and Presidents of the Art Gallery of New South Wales