National Portrait Gallery of Australia Annual Report 17/18 National Portrait Gallery of Australia Annual Report 17/18 © National Portrait Gallery The National Portrait Gallery is located on of Australia 2018 King Edward Terrace in the Parliamentary Zone of Canberra. issn 2204-0811 Location and opening hours All rights reserved. No part of this publication The National Portrait Gallery is situated in front may be reproduced or transmitted in any form of the High Court and alongside the National or by any means, electronic or mechanical Gallery of Australia. The Gallery is open daily (including photocopying, recording or any from 10.00am to 5.00pm, except for Christmas information storage and retrieval system), Day 25, December. For more information visit without permission from the publisher. portrait.gov.au All photographs unless otherwise stated Parking by Mark Mohell. The underground public car park can be accessed from Parkes Place. 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For the latest bus timetable information visit the ACTION Buses website or Google Transit. ii 28 September 2018 Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield Minister for Communications and the Arts Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Minister On behalf of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia Board, I am pleased to submit the Gallery’s Annual Report for presentation to each House of Parliament. The report covers the period 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018. This report is submitted in accordance with the National Portrait Gallery of Australia Act 2012, Section 46 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014. The financial statements are prepared in accordance with Section 42 of the Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013. Dr Helen Nugent ao Chairman national portrait gallery of australia annual report 2017/18 iii CONTENTS Year in review Chairman’s report 2 Director’s report 5 Foundation Chairman’s report 9 About the National Portrait Gallery of Australia 13 Overview 13 Vision 13 Our values 13 Minister for Communications and the Arts 13 Board of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia 14 NPGA Foundation 19 Governance practices 22 Work health and saftey 23 Annual performance statement 25 Introduction 25 NPGA’s purpose 25 Goals and strategic priorities 25 Goal 1: Enliven the collection 27 Goal 2: Engage with audiences 31 Goal 3: Enlarge support 37 Goal 4: Enhance resources 41 Financial statements 45 Acquisitions 71 Appendix 1. Patrons and benefactors 79 Appendix 2. Statutory reporting requirements 91 Compliance index 91 Compliance with finance law 92 Transactions with other Commonwealth entities 92 Advertising 92 Index 93 national portrait gallery of australia annual report 2017/18 1 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2018 has been a year of celebration and the scheduled October opening of an exhibition acknowledgement of milestones. Indeed, we of these works. But that is not all. To the credit scored a trifecta. of the Board, the Foundation and management, First, and most importantly, we recognised all twenty works have been privately funded. the twentieth anniversary of the establishment Full acknowledgement of these wonderful of the NPGA, driven by the vision and drive of individuals and organisations, who have been the late Mr Gordon Darling ac cmg and so generous in their support, will be a feature Mrs Marilyn Darling ac. Mr Andrew Sayers am of next year’s Annual Report, following the was the founding Director at that auspicious disclosure of who the twenty sitters and artists beginning and guided us for the first twelve are, along with those for whose generosity the years. In addition, we celebrated ten years Gallery is incredibly grateful. since the completion of our signature building, The funding of this major initiative is but whose inviting structure reinforces the part of our endeavour to raise funds from the accessibility of the art it adorns. And to private sector. Our success in that regard bears complete the picture, it is five years since witness to the wisdom of the Government’s we became a statutory authority, thereby decision to support our becoming a statutory unleashing our ability to generate funds authority in July 2013. We were particularly through our Foundation under the leadership encouraged in that direction by Mr Tim Fairfax of Mr Sid Myer am. ac, as well as by Gordon and Marilyn Darling. We recognised those milestones with Their encouragement and the Government’s well-moderated and paced events. The first and support, has paid dividends. This was another most significant event, held close to Gordon very successful year for the Foundation, with the Darling’s birthday, was a dinner that framed incredible generosity of Tim Fairfax continuing. the announcement of the new Darling Portrait We are not just in his debt, but we acknowledge Prize, which will be staged in late 2019. On a gratefully the generosity and support of all those warm and inviting Canberra evening, the Gallery who support the Gallery’s work. While we are acknowledged those whose contribution has extremely appreciative of the funding we receive been pivotal to our success with the Hon John from Government – and could not function Howard om ac making the announcement and without it – we are committed to reducing our Mrs Marilyn Darling responding and cutting the dependence on Government. birthday cake. It is the combined support of Government, Mid-year, at the same time as the opening our supportive sponsors, and committed of the So Fine exhibition, we held the Andrew individuals and corporations that allow us to Sayers Memorial Lecture, which was delivered stage engaging exhibitions, such as StarStruck by Professor Tim Bonyhady am. Tim’s lecture and So Fine, as well as the iconic and popular was a poignant reminder not just of Andrew’s National Photographic Portrait Prize. It is also indelible contribution to the Portrait Gallery their collective support that allows us to and Australia, but also of his long and enduring reach out to children through our much-loved friendship with Andrew. education programmes, as well as to undertake In the meantime, behind the scenes, our extensive touring programme, culminating discernible progress was being made by the this year in Broken Hill, with our celebrating Board and senior management on delivery of the the one-millionth person engaging with this 20/20 project. The vision was to deliver twenty programme. Since 1998, our touring programme new commissions of sitters, not currently in has helped to define us not just as a national the collection, for our twentieth anniversary institution, but also as an institution that is truly year. This bold and ambitious programme, national, as our exhibitions have reached every which has been announced, has long been in the state and mainland territory. planning. And, we are delighted to announce This year was also a landmark in the that all twenty works will be delivered before leadership of the Gallery. Mr Angus Trumble, 2 Edmund Capon am, Angus Trumble, The Hon John Howard om ac, Janette Howard, Dr Helen Nugent ao, Sid Myer am and Joanna Capon oam at the Portrait Gallery’s twentieth anniversary dinner on 2 March. our highly regarded Director, informed the Board works from April to September. During that time, that he did not intend to seek a further term after the Gallery will reach out into the community his contract expired. through active engagement in other states, as Since making that announcement, the well as in Canberra. While the closure has been Board has engaged in a search for a new Director. necessitated through legacy issues, it provides On 25 September, the Board was thrilled to an opportunity for more extensive outreach announce that Ms Karen Quinlan, the Director throughout Australia. of the highly respected Bendigo Art Gallery for In conclusion, I acknowledge and thank the past 18 years had been appointed to the role. the hardworking and dedicated members of our She will take up the position on 10 December, Board. They have enhanced our conversations 2018. The Board is very much looking forward through their vision and commitment, along to working with Ms Quinlan as she leads us with with the richness and diversity of their views, vision and passion into our next era. which has pushed us to new heights, particularly While Mr Trumble’s term as Director is not in shaping the direction of the programme for yet complete as of the date of this report, the this defining year. I thank them from the bottom Board wishes to extend its heartfelt appreciation of my heart. to him for his contribution to the Gallery since his appointment. His erudition and flair have entranced all with whom he has come in touch, making him a much-loved public figure. That has, in turn, served to enhance the reputation of the Gallery. Angus, we salute you and thank you for all you have done. This year it was also announced that the Dr Helen Nugent ao Gallery will close next year for rectification Chairman national portrait gallery of australia annual report 2017/18 3 4 © andrew cowen DIRECTOR’S REPORT This year we marked the twentieth anniversary we are most grateful for embracing this project of the formal establishment of the National from the outset.