Mervyn Horton

Mervyn Emrys Rosser Horton AM (27 July 1917 - 1 February 1983) was an Australian art editor, art collector and philanthropist.^[1]

Early life

Mervyn Horton was born and grew up in Sydney, attending Newington College (1930–1935) ^[2], Stanmore and the University of Sydney where he studied engineering.

Working life

He was a Director of the Katoomba Collieries before joining Ure Smith Publishers and becoming Director of the company and founding Editor of Art and Australia. In 1956 he opened Galleria Expresso, a coffee bar in Rowe Street, Sydney.

Community involvement

He served as Secretary of the Society of Artists, an Executive Member of the Arts Council of Australia (NSW Division), a Board Member of the National Trust of Australia (NSW), a Trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and an Australian Commissioner for the XIIIth Bienal Internacional de São Paulo.

Honours

In 1982 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the General Division.

Legacy

On his death he left substantial bequests to the National Trust and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The doyen of the Sydney art world for thirty years as a writer, collector, patron and philanthropist, the Mervyn Horton Bequest has to 2006 purchased over $8 million of contemporary art for the Art Gallery of New South Wales. His papers are held by the National Library of Australia.^[3]. It was a condition of Horton's bequest to the Art Gallery of New South Wales that it display annually a painting of himself by Australian artist, Bryan Westwood. The gallery has not observed this condition.

Publications

• Present Day Art in Australia (1969)
• Australian Painters of the '70s (1975)

References

1. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biograpghy
2. ^ Newington College Register of Past Students 1863-1998 (Syd, 1999) pp92
3. ^ National Library Papers of Mervyn Horton

Persondata
Name	Horton, Mervyn Emrys Rosser
Alternative names
Short description	Twentieth century Australian art collector, patron and philanthropist
Date of birth	27 July 1917
Place of birth	Sydney, Australia
Date of death	1 February 1983
Place of death	Sydney, Australia