Millionaire Jewish businessman Lloyd Dorfman has made a seven-figure donation to the Royal Academy of Arts to help promote contemporary architecture.
The gift will fund the refurbishment of the Senate Rooms in Burlington Gardens in Piccadilly, which will become home to a gallery dedicated to architecture. It will also fund two awards that will celebrate innovation and new talent in the profession.
“I have always had an interest in architecture and design and am delighted to support these exciting plans," Mr Dorfman said. "The Academy has been led by artists and architects for nearly 250 years, and this will revitalise its presence and profile. The international awards will recognise the best in architecture and highlight the RA’s role in London’s cultural life and also London’s status as a world centre for architecture.”
Mr Dorfman, 64, founded Travelex in 1976, which became the world’s largest retail currency-exchange business. He sold all but five per cent of it for a reported £1bn in 2014.
He has made donations to JW3, to JCoSS as well as many arts organisations, such as the National Theatre. He is also chairman of the Prince’s Trust and deputy chairman of the Community Security Trust.
“Being brought up in the Jewish community, philanthropy is something you become aware of from an early age,” he said in an interview with Coutts bank. “The community has always punched well above its weight in terms of its philanthropic contribution across education, the arts and welfare, both within the Jewish community and broader British society.”