annual report 2002–2003 annual report 2002–2003 NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA Annual Report 2002–2003 © National Gallery of Australia ISSN 1323-5192 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Produced by the Publications Department of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Editor: Alistair McGhie Designer: Kate Shackleford Printer: Paragon Printers Australasia National Gallery of Australia GPO Box 1150 Canberra ACT 2601 www.nga.gov.au Cover and left: David Moore, Parachute troops in training, Aldershot, UK 1953 gelatin silver photograph Gift of David Moore 1983 19 September 2003 Senator the Hon. Rod Kemp Minister for the Arts and Sport Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Minister I have pleasure in submitting to you, for presentation to each House of Parliament, the National Gallery of Australia’s Annual Report covering the period 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003. The report is submitted to you in accordance with the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 and the National Gallery Act 1975. The Report of Operations has been prepared consistent with the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies (Report of Operations) Orders 2002. The fi nancial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Finance Minister’s Orders made under the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997. Yours sincerely Harold Mitchell Chairman of Council National Gallery of Australia Annual Report 2002–2003 iii Contents Letter of Transmittal iii Chairman’s Foreword 1 Director’s Report 3 Performance Report 2002–2003 Outcome and Outputs 7 Corporate Overview 9 Report against Strategic Plan 2001–2004 Goal 1 Acquire premium works of art 17 Goal 2 Strengthen and refi ne the national collection 17 Goal 3 Maintain and protect the national collection 29 Goal 4 Deliver an outstanding exhibition and display program 35 Goal 5 Promote and enhance access to the visual arts 45 Goal 6 Sustain an encouraging and inclusive environment for all staff 55 Goal 7 Refurbish and enhance the National Gallery building 63 Goal 8 Increase and broaden our revenue base 67 National Gallery of Australia Financial Reports 2002–2003 Independent audit report 72 Statement by Directors 74 Statement of Financial Performance 75 Notes to the Financial Statement 80 Appendixes 1. Council of the National Gallery of Australia 2002–2003 103 2. Staffi ng structure at 30 June 2003 105 3. Staff of the National Gallery of Australia at 30 June 2003 106 4. Acquisitions 2002–2003 109 5. Total Acquisitions including purchases and gifts 1945–2003 142 6. Exhibitions at the National Gallery of Australia 2002–2003 143 7. Attendance 1982–2003 144 8. Travelling Exhibitions 2002–2003 145 Locations visited by Travelling Exhibitions 1988–2003 148 Locations visited by the Elaine and Jim Wolfensohn Gift 1991–2003 149 9. Loans 2002–2003 150 (i) Outward loans to exhibitions—Australia 150 (ii) Outward loans to exhibitions—International 154 (iii) Inward loans 155 10. Outward loans including Travelling Exhibitions 1976–2003 157 11. Volunteers at 30 June 2003 158 12. Publications 2002–2003 160 13. Consultants 2002–2003 161 14. Performance Measures and Outcomes 162 15. Compliance Index and Contact Offi cers 164 Index 165 National Gallery of Australia Annual Report 2002–2003 v National Gallery of Australia Council (L–R) Dr Brian Kennedy, Mr Robert Champion de Crespigny AC, Mrs Roslyn Packer, Mrs Ann Lewis AM, Mr Harold Mitchell, Mrs Lyn Williams AM, Mr Philip Bacon AM, Mr Michael Chaney (Absent: Mr Anthony Berg AM, Dr Peter Farrell) vi National Gallery of Australia Annual Report 2002–2003 CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD HAROLD MITCHELL CHAIRMAN This was a year of considerable achievement particularly in providing greater access to the Gallery’s collection. A record number of people attended National Gallery travelling exhibitions in the year. The National Gallery in October 2002 celebrated twenty years of public operations. Support for our twentieth anniversary celebration activities has been outstanding. In particular, the initiative Out and About: The National Gallery tours Australia, which provided twenty venues around the country with the opportunity to select works from a number of the Gallery’s most treasured icons for exhibition at their venues, has proved to be extremely popular, attracting great interest from the public in all states and territories. We also continued to make important progress in building the collection, which was again aided by the generous support of many donors and the outstanding efforts of the National Gallery of Australia Foundation under the leadership of its Chairman, Mr Tony Berg AM. The Council would like to thank all of our benefactors, donors, supporters and sponsors for their generosity, which assisted the Gallery greatly in presenting a varied program of exhibitions and other public activities. For the eighth successive year the number of works of art loaned increased and another record number of loans was achieved. The national focus of all our access initiatives was more evident this year than any other since the Gallery opened to the public in 1982. Electronic access to the Gallery and its collection also increased substantially during the year. National Gallery of Australia Annual Report 2002–2003 1 The Gallery building refurbishment and enhancement program continued to considerable acclaim, and the original building architect, Mr Colin Madigan AO, generously provided advice to the Gallery on the design principles for the building, which will assist further building development. A Development Manager was engaged to assist the Gallery in achieving an exciting design solution for the new front entrance. This project is expected to be completed by the end of 2006. Mr Philip Bacon AM concluded a six-year term with the Gallery Council and we acknowledge his dedication and commitment to the Gallery and his generosity in presenting gifts of works of art and helping the Gallery to acquire a number of major works. The Gallery benefi ts greatly from the many volunteers who provide guiding, research and other valuable services. The Council would like to thank them for their ongoing support. The Council would Elizabeth Nyumi also like to acknowledge the support received from the Australian Government throughout the year, Parwalla 2001 particularly that provided by our Ministers, Senator the Hon. Richard Alston and Senator the Hon. synthetic polymer paint Rod Kemp and the offi cers of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the on linen Purchased 2002 Arts. We also acknowledge the support provided by Art Indemnity Australia, which indemnifi ed the exhibition Pierre Bonnard: Observing Nature at the Gallery in Canberra and the Queensland Art Gallery, and for its indemnifi cation of the Out and About tour. We also acknowledge the support of Visions Australia for this tour. I would like particularly to acknowledge the Director, Dr Brian Kennedy and the staff for their achievements during another great year for the Gallery. Harold Mitchell Chairman of Council On 4 October 2002 the current and former Chairs and Directors of the National Gallery celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Gallery’s opening to the public – L to R – The Hon. E Gough Whitlam AC QC (Chairman, January 1987 – December 1990), James Mollison AO (Director, February 1977 – October 1989), Betty Churcher AO (Director, February 1990 – July 1997), Dr Brian Kennedy (Director, September 1997 – current), Harold Mitchell (Chairman, January 2001 – current), Kerry Stokes AO (Chairman, January 1996 – December 2000), The Hon. Lionel Bowen AC (Chairman, January 1991 – December 1995), and L Gordon Darling AO CMG (Chairman, January 1982 – December 1986). 2 National Gallery of Australia Annual Report 2002–2003 DIRECTOR’S REPORT BRIAN KENNEDY DIRECTOR The impact of the Gallery’s activities nationally was very signifi cant in 2002–2003, our twentieth-anniversary year. Throughout the six years I have been at the National Gallery of Australia we have sought to increase our national role. The aspiration to increase access to works of art from the Gallery’s collection and to take works from the collection around the country and abroad was expressed in our plan, Into the New Millennium 1999– 2001, and again in our Strategic Plan 2001–2004. It is gratifying to note the record of achievement this year in pursuit of our ‘national’ objectives. We have successfully grown our loan and travelling exhibition programs. This year 1,291,880 people visited 20 National Gallery travelling exhibitions at 56 venues in Australia and abroad, and a further 367,547 people visited the Gallery in Canberra. In addition, 2,320,695 people visited exhibitions organised by others which included one or more works borrowed from the Gallery’s collection. A total of 1,151,442 people visited the Gallery’s website and viewed millions of pages. The number of works of art loaned by the Gallery climbed to a record 2,550 this year, representing the eighth consecutive year of increase. The Out and About: The National Gallery tours Australia initiative afforded an opportunity for 20 partner galleries, drawn from each state and territory, to select an iconic work or series of works from our collection to display at their venue to mark our twentieth anniversary of being open to the public. This initiative has proved a huge success with communities throughout Australia, whether in state and territory capitals or in regional National Gallery of Australia Annual Report 2002–2003 3 centres. Large numbers of people responded to the opportunity to view some of the most celebrated works of art in the Gallery’s collection. This program, which commenced with the loan of Willem de Kooning’s Woman V to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in December 2002, will conclude with the loan of Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles to the National Gallery of Victoria in November 2003.