Party’s over: Doors close on celebrity artist’s Chapel Street gallery

When acclaimed artist Vincent Fantauzzo opened his namesake gallery in South Yarra in February last year, the launch party had wall-to-wall rich-listers, powerbrokers, Melbourne notables and a sprinkling of traditional celebrity.

The opening night throng at the Chapel Street gallery, a venture between Fantauzzo and billionaire entrepreneur Larry Kestelman, included Gillon McLachlan, Sue Gudinski, Mary Coustas, Shane Delia, Martin Pakula, David Bromley, the late Neale Daniher, Eddie McGuire, Darcy Moore and Kim Ledger, father of late actor Heath Ledger. Also on hand, of course, was Fantauzzo’s wife, award-winning actor Asher Keddie.

Heck, even Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch turned up. It was the hottest ticket in town.

“You get to a certain point in your life where art meets business and the magic happens,” Kestelman told media on the night. “This space is just the beginning. It’s something that will be here for many, many years to come.”

Just 16 months down the track, CBD was surprised on Monday to see that the doors had shut on the spiffy gallery that showcased Fantauzzo’s celebrated portrait work.

And late on Monday a message appeared on the Fantauzzo Gallery Instagram page.

“Thank you, South Yarra. Fantauzzo Gallery is now closed. We are grateful for every visitor, collector and moment shared,” the post read, followed by an email for people to get in touch if they were interested in Fantauzzo’s work.

While no one was up for a chat when CBD reached out, it seems the gallery lease had run its course and was not renewed, and there are plans to move Fantauzzo into a new studio space.

Kestelman and Fantauzzo, who has won the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize twice, the Archibald Packing Room Prize, and the Archibald People’s Choice Award four times, remain partners. So, watch this space. We can’t wait for the next launch party.

Racing diplomacy in full gallop at Royal Ascot

Following on from yesterday and top trainer Ciaron Maher’s “pinch me” lunch at Windsor Castle with King Charles, CBD can report the Aussie contingent on the ground at Royal Ascot also included Victoria Racing Club chief executive Kylie Rogers along with VRC chairman Neil Wilson and his wife, Stephanie.

Representing the club, Rogers made a flying four-day trip to London during which she attended two days of the high-society Ascot carnival, putting racing diplomacy into action.

“Neil Wilson and I were guests of Howden, [founder and CEO David Howden], on Wednesday,” Rogers told CBD from Singapore on Sunday night on her way back to Melbourne.

The insurance firm holds the naming rights to Victoria Derby Day and is a principal partner of Ascot.

“The following day we were guests of Felicity Barnard, the chief executive of Ascot. I had a horse running in the Gold Cup that day, so it was a wonderful experience.”

Rogers owns a share of stayer Furthur, which, unfortunately, finished 10th at 100/1 in the Group 1 4014-metre marathon.

SEN boss Craig Hutchison, who missed Ascot to attend the soccer World Cup in the US, is another co-owner of the horse, which was syndicated by Lizzie Jelfs.

“We bought a share [in Furthur] before he ran in the Melbourne Cup last year,” Rogers said.

The Wilsons, meanwhile, had a busy schedule, being guests of the King for lunch at Windsor Castle on the carnival’s final day and arriving at the racecourse in the royal carriage procession.

Finally, thank you to the eagle-eyed CBD reader who spotted Melbourne-born opera singer Danielle de Niese in the royal carriage procession on day one of Royal Ascot. There was certainly no shortage of Australians moving in the royal circle this year.

Miners turn on Twiggy

Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest may have been left looking a little needy when he was unable to get the ear of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the lead up to the release of last month’s federal budget.

But the nation’s peak mining lobby is beginning to look worried about the ongoing campaign to wind back the diesel fuel rebate, as the Labor Party prepares to descend on Adelaide for its national conference next month amid mounting internal party support for the change.

The Minerals Council of Australia produced a whiff of its own desperation on Monday when the lobby group’s chief, Tania Constable, and National Farmers’ Federation chief executive Michael Guerin appeared for the launch of their own “Hands Off Our Fuel” campaign. Or “Hands Off Out [sic] Fuel campaign”, as reporters were told ahead of time.

Twiggy’s Fortescue isn’t a listed member of the peak mining body, which is probably why Constable’s mining lobby felt emboldened to give him a swipe in Monday’s media alert. Or at least we can only guess the mining magnate was front of mind when the lobby group came out to reject “misinformed activist campaigns” designed to cap or cut the fuel tax credit – without naming the billionaire, of course.

In an April 14 letter revealed by CBD, Twiggy urged Albanese to consider introducing a $50 million cap on the diesel fuel rebate before the budget.

The rebate, he wrote, refunds $11 billion a year to businesses, much of it flowing to large miners. Of course, that cap never came. (At least not this financial year, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said last month.)

“I appreciate this is a busy period,” Twiggy wrote in the letter. “I tried to reach you last week and also offered to meet Treasurer [Jim] Chalmers in Washington this week to discuss the proposal directly. I urge you to consider this reform in the May budget.”

Monday’s campaign launch wasn’t the first bit of friendly fire we’ve seen over Twiggy’s proposal. The West Australian mining lobby in May criticised Fortescue’s multimillion-dollar campaign, despite the company being one of its members. Something tells us it won’t be the last, either.

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