Lachlan Murdoch emerges in Melbourne after family saga explodes
The court dismissed an attempt to alter the terms of a family trust, which hold the shares that control the empire.
Then two lengthy articles about the fight for control of the empire – in The New York Times and The Atlantic, which included extensive interviews with James – confirmed long-held suspicions that the family drama had unfolded behind closed doors within the powerful dynasty.
But all this couldn’t upstage man-of-the-hour Fantauzzo, however, who was surrounded by rock stars, football and acting royalty.
Among the star power in the room was Collingwood captain Darcy Moore and Jet frontman Nic Cester, both of whom have served as subjects for the artist’s hyper-realistic portraiture.
Images of Neale Daniher and the late Heath Ledger were also among the works watching silently over the gathered crowd.
“I met Lachlan a while back at a motorbike grand prix, and I watched him in a crowd – he was with his son – and I could see this amazing relationship between him and his son. He was being hounded by photographers, and they both kept an eye on each other,” Fantauzzo said.
“I thought it was very beautiful, and I did a sketch based on that, and we became mates. Being such a busy guy, I have a lot of respect him having that relationship with his kids.”
Fantauzzo said he was unaware of the recent developments in the Murdoch family.
The artist has painted former prime minister Julia Gillard, exhibited globally and won numerous awards. He is married to actor Asher Keddie, who is a close friend of Sarah Murdoch.
He said the gallery space, which features a bar upstairs, came together in two weeks.
“It was an empty space, and in that two weeks it’s been like The Block! I’ve had incredible people running around,” he said.
“It’s a bit of an eclectic mix – some of [the works] are from the past, some are new, and there’s a new exhibition based on the book.”
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