John Schaeffer (art collector)

John Herman Schaeffer AO (1941 – 14 July 2020) was a Dutch-born Australian art collector, philanthropist and businessman.

[1] Schaeffer initially collected 19th-century Australian paintings, but was entranced by the 1984 exhibition The Pre-Raphaelites at Tate Britain.

[1] His initial art purchases in the 1970s were Australian paintings by Rupert Bunny, E. Phillips Fox and John Russell.

[2] Schaeffer's art collection held 200 pieces at its peak, but was greatly diminished by business debts and the financial effects of his divorce.

[3] Schaeffer died at St Vincent's Hospital on 14 July 2020 at the age of 79 after being hit by a utility vehicle on Macquarie Street in central Sydney.