Judith Neilson is an Australian businesswoman and philanthropist with a passion for visual arts. Neilson is the co-founder of the

White Rabbit Gallery The White Rabbit Gallery is an contemporary art museum located in the Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the me ...

in Sydney. She is a significant shareholder in

Platinum Asset Management Platinum Asset Management is an Australian asset management company. It has been publicly traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since 2007. It is a constituent member of both the S&P/ASX 200 and S&P/ASX 300 indexes. In 2019, it was ranked ...

, a company co-founded by her former husband,

Kerr Neilson Kerr Neilson (born 17 October 1949) is a South African-born Australian investment manager who co-founded Platinum Asset Management. Neilson's ability to consistently choose high-performing stocks has seen him dubbed "Australia's Warren Buffett". ...

Philanthropy

Neilson's financial status has supported her philanthropic initiatives, exemplified through the establishment of the 100 million Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas. Situated in Sydney, the institute fosters collaboration with international journalists and media organisations and encourages independent quality journalism. The institute is overseen by a board of directors, international advisory council and staff to manage the programs and operations. In 2015 Neilson endowed a Chair of Architecture at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

to develop housing solutions for displaced individuals, such as climate refugees or those affected by natural disaster or conflict. In 2017, Neilson initiated the Judith Neilson Chair of Contemporary Art at the University of New South Wales in addition to creating a Scholarship in Contemporary Art at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

White Rabbit Gallery

In 2009, Kerr and Neilson opened the

in , Sydney to display their collection of artworks that they have acquired over the previous decades. The gallery showcases and pays particular tribute to 21st century Chinese modern art, as a reflection of Judith's personal inclination towards Asian art culture. This followed Neilson's first trips to Beijing in the late 1990s, where she was exposed to such art. The White Rabbit Gallery is today one of the most significant collections of Chinese contemporary art. Neilson regularly travels to both China and Taiwan to augment the collection that includes more than 2,000 works by almost 700 artists. In 2016 ''The Art Life'' list Judith Neilson as one of the 50 most powerful people in Australian art in recognition of her donations, with her former husband, Kerr, to philanthropic art projects since 2007 and the opening of the White Rabbit Gallery. Since 2015, the White Rabbit Gallery has been funded solely by Judith Neilson.

Awards and recognition

Neilson was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian ...

in 2016 for significant service to the arts through the museums and galleries sector, and as a benefactor of cultural and educational organisations. She was named one of the '' Australian Financial Review's'' 100 Women of Influence in 2018.

Personal life

Neilson and her former husband, Kerr, divorced in 2015. They have two children.

Net worth

Since 2015, and her divorce from her billionaire husband

, Judith Neilson was included on'' Forbes’'' list of Australian billionaires. Neilson was ranked number 2057 on ''Forbes’'' Billionaires 2019 list. In 2020 it was the first year, since 2015, that Neilson was not listed. According to the '' BRW'', in 2015 Neilson debuted on the Rich 200 with a net worth of 1.55 billion. ;Notes *: Prior to 2015, net worth was reported in the name of Kerr Neilson only. From 2015, net worth was separated with individual listings for Kerr Neilson and for Judith Neilson.

References

External links

Judith Neilson Institute

White Rabbit Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neilson, Judith Australian businesspeople Australian billionaires Australian philanthropists Year of birth missing (living people) Members of the Order of Australia Living people