Melbourne now has two major galleries—NGV Australia and NGV International, and it’s hard not to smile when walking out of Flinders Street Station into a gigantic new arts precinct after doing without for so long. O brave new world, that has such buildings in it! As artist Robert Motherwell once said, people just naturally accept modern buildings. The Ian Potter Gallery in Federation Square opened its doors in 2002 and the public has been pouring in ever since. The refurbished NGV International in St Kilda Road finally reopened in December 2003 to accolades, and scores have been to the Caravaggio exhibition.
Gerard Vaughan, director and CEO of the National Gallery of Victoria, must be one of the busiest people in Australia. Any dream of a soul-baring interaction with Mr Vaughan was dashed by the circumstances of the interview. Yes, he could find a window for me—in the taxi on the way to Sydney Airport and then suggested I call again after he landed, in the taxi from Tullamarine to the carpark of the NGV. After serving as director of the British Museum Development Trust in London for five years, he replaced Timothy Potts as director of the NGV in 1999. He has shepherded the Federation Square and St Kilda Road buildings into being, both projects of mind-boggling complexity, which were started by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett.
‘I spend a lot of time on external relations with stakeholders, government relations, talking to the press and the members of the NGV. I’m lobbying for money a great deal of the time, that is very important of course, and support from the community. And I have to deal with a lot of straightforward administrative issues—not the day-to-day management, that’s handled by the chief of finance and others. And of course I have excellent professional curatorial staff. Dealing with issues like conservation of works and retail operations. Acquisitions program—we have some very exciting works coming up. We are getting a sculpture by Archipenko, among others.’
Fundraising is part of the duties of all gallery directors, but the rationing is what makes the difference. The NGV is often mentioned in the same breath as the name of Melbourne businessman Alfred Felton. It’s now a hundred years since he died, leaving the then enormous sum of £191,500 to Victoria’s National Gallery. Felton was a dedicated art collector but his taste was of its time, running mainly to middle-of-the-road