The Australian Visual Artists’ Benevolent Fund was established in 1989, thanks to a generous donation from artist/sculptor Bert Flugelman, who during his careers suffered many personal disasters which could have left him destitute had it not been for the generosity of friends and colleagues in the art world.
Original trustees of the fund were artists Bert Flugelman and Guy Warren, stockbroker Michael Hobbs OAM, lawyer Shane Simpson, and accountant Tom Lowenstein.