annual report 1998–99 annual report 1998–99 national gallery of australia Annual Report 1998–99 © National Gallery of Australia 1999 ISSN 1323-5192 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Produced by the Publications Department of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Printed in Australia by Goanna Print, Canberra. National Gallery of Australia GPO Box 1150, Canberra ACT 2601 Telephone (02) 6240 6411 Facsimile (02) 6240 6529 Website: www.nga.gov.au Cover: Arthur Boyd Reflected Bride I 1958 Purchased with funds from the Nerissa Johnson Bequest 1999 Reproduced with the permission of Bundanon Trust 17 September 1999 The Honourable Peter McGauran MP Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Minister I have pleasure in providing to you the Annual Report of the National Gallery of Australia for 1998–99, as required under the National Gallery Act 1975 and the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997. The report follows the Guidelines for the Content, Preparation and Presentation of Annual Reports by Statutory Authorities (1982) and the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Orders for Report of Operations (August 1998). Kerry Stokes AO Chairman of Council iii annual report 1998–99 Contents Letter of Transmission iii Chairman’s Foreword 1 Director’s Report 2 Corporate Overview 6 Performance 1998–99 Developing the Collection 11 Maintaining the Collection 16 Providing Access and Information 18 Managing Resources 26 Appendixes 1. Council of the National Gallery of Australia 30 2. Management Structure on 30 June 1999 31 3. Staff of the National Gallery on 30 June 1999 32 4. Staffing Overview 36 5. Acquisitions 1998–99 39 6. Exhibitions held at the National Gallery of Australia 54 7. Travelling Exhibitions 55 8. Inward and Outward Loans 58 9. National Gallery of Australia Volunteers 64 10. Publications of the National Gallery of Australia 66 National Gallery of Australia Financial Report 1998–99 67 Index 94 v annual report 1998–99 Chairman’s Foreword It has been a year of signficant achievement for the National Gallery of Australia. The National Gallery was frequently in the news, attesting to a high level of interest in our development, events and activities. The National Gallery’s Corporate Plan Into the New Millennium was launched in October 1998. It included a comprehensive summary of the Gallery’s achievements since its opening in 1982 and articulated our policy direction for the years 1999–2001. More than 900,000 people visited the National Gallery of Australia or attended one of our many travelling exhibitions which toured Australia or abroad. The number of works of art lent for Mr Kerry Stokes AO, exhibition around the country and overseas was Chairman of the National Gallery of Australia Council higher this year than any previous year. I wish to convey the Council’s appreciation to the The Commonwealth Government appropriation to National Gallery’s large number of volunteers for the National Gallery of $20.5 million in the year was their continued involvement. The Council also complemented by $12 million generated wishes to acknowledge the support of the by the Gallery, including a most generous bequest Commonwealth Government throughout the year, of $6 million from the late Nerissa Johnson of particularly that provided by our Sydney. Ministers, Senator the Hon. Richard Alston and the The National Gallery enjoyed the generous support Hon. Peter McGauran, and the officers of the of many individuals and corporations throughout Department of Communications, Information the year, and I would like to acknowledge them Technology and the Arts. and express gratitude on behalf of the Gallery. In I wish to express appreciation to the Director, particular I would like to thank the donors of works Dr Brian Kennedy, and to the Gallery’s staff for their of art and the corporations that supported our efforts during another challenging year. major exhibitions program. During the year Mr Brian Johns AO retired from the Council after serving as a member for two terms. I would like to pay tribute to Mr Johns for his contribution to the National Gallery in his six years of service. The Council welcomed the appointment of Ms Carol Schwartz, Mrs Ann Kerry Stokes AO Lewis, Mr Richard Allert and Mr Harold Mitchell. Chairman of Council 1 annual report 1998–99 Director’s Report In the Annual Report for 1997–98, my first year as Director of the National Gallery of Australia, I reported that we had been busy working to define our purpose, ascertaining precisely how we would address our national mandate, building on the experience of the past and moving forward in new directions. This process reached an important stage in October 1998 with the publication of the National Gallery’s Corporate Plan for 1999–2001, Into the New Millennium. It sets out the National Gallery’s priorities and objectives over the next few years, along with strategies for accomplishing them. Preparing the Corporate Plan involved the Council Dr Brian Kennedy, and staff in detailed and lengthy discussions, and Director of the National Gallery of Australia engaged the wider community in a most loans, transfer or exchanges of works of art from stimulating manner. The next few years will be the National Gallery of Australia’s collection to 12 about achieving our priorities: acquiring significant museums and galleries. The partnership program works of art by purchase and gift, organising and encompasses such activities as providing training presenting major exhibitions, improving services and professional development for regional gallery for visitors with a research centre and an education personnel, developing and implementing national centre, refurbishing the Gallery building, and accreditation standards, and encouraging a gaining greater private funding in addition to recognised set of standards and benchmarks for increased public resources. gallery operations. We are pleased to report that we are making good Our efforts to give greater access to the National progress. With the support of the Government and Gallery’s collection through an enhanced program in particular the Minister for Communications, of loans have met with splendid results. The Gallery Information Technology and the Arts, Senator the lent 1,423 works of art during the year, the highest Hon. Richard Alston, the National Gallery number of loans ever. introduced a policy of free entry to the permanent In addition, more than 12,000 works of art were collection in October 1998. Senator Alston also seen by visitors to the Collection Study Room. The announced that he was raising the threshold at travelling exhibitions program increased also, and it which works of art required his Ministerial approval is significant that we have achieved from $450,000 to $10 million. These liberalising a total audience of more than 900,000, with measures have enhanced the independence of the approximately 40 per cent visiting the National Gallery and we are grateful for the trust implicit in Gallery in Canberra, and about 60 per cent visiting them. our travelling exhibitions in Australia or the The National Gallery sought greater links with international exhibitions organised by the National regional museums and galleries across Australia by Gallery. This is consistent with our objective of the introduction of a new partnership scheme. It providing access to works of art locally, nationally was launched with the declaration of a program of and internationally. 2 Number of works of art borrowed by Arthur Boyd, John Brack, Russell Drysdale, Ian Fairweather and Eugene von Guérard, and 800 720 a set of prints by Bea Maddock. The National 700 Gallery purchased the Peter Fannin Collection, an 666 643 important group of early western desert paintings. 600 Asian works included a Khmer Standing Adorned 500 468 Buddha, a beautiful Jain sandstone column from 400 376 India, and a pair of Tang Dynasty Earth Spirit guardian figures. The National Gallery’s collection 300 of Japanese prints was enhanced by a number of 200 purchases and gifts. The acquisition of 100 international paintings this year included Pierre Bonnard’s Woman in front of a mirror and David 0 94–95 95–96 96–97 97–98 98–99 Hockney’s A Bigger Grand Canyon. The two works contrast both Number of works of art lent in style and scale: Bonnard depicts his nude wife in an enclosed and intimate space, while Hockney 1600 1423 paints the landscape from multiple viewpoints for a 1400 breathtaking and colourful vista. Acquisitions are 1251 1285 1200 1152 listed in full in Appendix 5. 1000 The National Gallery presented an extensive 855 program of exhibitions during the year. The well- 800 received and much discussed exhibition, 600 Esso presents New Worlds from Old: 19th Century 400 Australian and American Landscapes, after being shown at the National Gallery of Australia and the 200 National Gallery of Victoria, travelled to the 0 Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford Connecticut, 94–95 95–96 96–97 97–98 98–99 and then to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in A new program management structure was Washington DC. The Gallery also lent individual introduced to achieve the corporate objectives works of art to important international exhibitions, outlined in Into the New Millennium. The flatter including retrospectives of the work of Jackson structure is working successfully and generating considerable interaction between staff at all levels. The Government’s new financial management framework has encouraged a greater sense of accountability among the entire staff, which is yielding more effective and efficient administration. The Gallery also selected and began to implement improved systems for point-of-sale, human resources, and financial management information.