Minutes of the Board meeting held on Thursday 24 March 2022
Present
John Booth (Chair)
Diana Berry
Catherine Goodman
Katrin Henkel
Sir John Kingman
James Lambert
David Marks (via Zoom for item 7)
Dounia Nadar
Tonya Nelson
Stuart Roden
Professor Molly Stevens
Apologies
Rosemary Leith
In attendance
Dr Gabriele Finaldi - Director
Dr Caroline Campbell - Director of Collections and Research
Dr Susan Foister - Deputy Director
Paul Gray - Chief Operating Officer
Victoria Hayes - Secretary to the Board and Head of Governance
Andy Hibbert - Director of Finance
Chris Michaels - Director of Digital, Communications and Technology
Julie Molloy - Managing Director of National Gallery Company Ltd
Anh Nguyen - Director of Development
Aimee Ng - The Frick Collection, New York
Larry Keith - Head of Conservation and Keeper (for item 1)
Christine Riding - Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department and Curator of British Paintings (for items 1-4)
Sarah Younger - Project Director (for item 7 and 15)
Annabelle Selldorf - Selldorf Architects (for item 7 and 15)
Alasdair Travers - Design Partner, Purcell Architects (for item 7)
1. Pictures for treatment
1.1. In the Conservation Studio, following cleaning and restoration, the Board saw 'Portrait of Leonardo Salvagno (?)' by Moroni (NG3124) and 'The Interior of a Stable' (NG879) by Wouwerman. They were shown 'A Young Man Drinking' in the Style of Murillo (NG1286), which, as a result of discoveries made during the conservation treatment, has been reattributed to Murillo. The Board approved the pictures as being ready to go back on display.
1.2. The Board also saw 'The Virgin and Child Enthroned with Scenes of the Nativity and the Lives of the Saints' (NG564) by Margarito d’Arezzo. Treatment for the frame of this painting was approved by Trustees in January 2020 and is now complete, after delays caused by the pandemic. The Board approved the painting as being ready to go back on display.
1.3. Trustees were shown Bonifazio di Pitati’s 'The Madonna and Child with Saints James the Greater, Jerome, the infant Baptist and Catherine of Alexandria' (NG1202) and 'Interior of a Church', by a Follower of Bartholomeus van Bassen (NG924). They approved the treatment proposed for the paintings.
1.4. The Head of Conservation and Keeper explained that as the Board was going to be away from the Gallery for its May Board meeting, there would not be a visit to the Conservation Studio but in order for work to proceed, he was showing them progress on the conservation of Piero di Cosimo’s 'Satyr mourning over a Nymph' (NG698) and Sir Joshua Reynolds' 'Captain Robert Orme' (NG681), which would be completed by the time of the May meeting. The Board approved the paintings going back on display, subject to final inspection by the Chair and the Artist Trustee.
1.5. The Head of Conservation and Keeper outlined the treatment proposed for the Pollaiuolos' 'Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian' (NG292), one of the Gallery’s largest altarpieces, which would be coming into the studio in May and for which Trustees had a detailed examination report. The Board approved the treatment proposed.
1.6. Information has been excluded under s.22 and s.36 FOI 2000.
In the Boardroom, the Director introduced Aimee Ng, a curator from The Frick Collection in New York who was shadowing him for the week.
2. Declarations of interest
2.1. None
3. Minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2022 and matters arising
3.1.The Minutes were approved.
3.2-3.3. The Chair confirmed that all matters arising had been completed or were in progress. Information has been excluded under s.22 and s.36 FOI 2000.
4. Loans out paper
4.1. The Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department presented the loans out paper, which was approved.
5. Director's report
5.1. The Director gave his presentation. He said the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham had recently opened an exhibition, 'Carlo Crivelli: Shadows on the Sky', to which the Gallery was the largest lender, and which combined a contemporary installation by Audrey Flack. He said press coverage had been very positive.
5.2. He encouraged Trustees to visit Artist in Residence 2021 Ali Cherri’s intervention in the Sainsbury Wing, 'If you prick us do we not bleed?' which had opened the previous week.
5.3. He said that the final of Articulation, a nationwide public speaking programme, had taken place in the Lecture Theatre earlier in the week and was very well attended, with former Director of the Gallery, Neil MacGregor judging the entries from 11 finalists.
5.4. Owing to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, he said that the Raphael loan from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg had been cancelled, but that the exhibition - which had been postponed for two years - promised to be extremely popular and tickets were selling well.
5.5. A Trustee asked whether the Gallery had been successful in attracting new audiences to 'Kehinde Wiley at the National Gallery: The Prelude'. The Director replied that late opening on Fridays was proving particularly attractive for different audiences. He said there would be a presentation of highlights from the exhibition on the main screens in Piccadilly Circus for 10 minutes the following evening.
5.6. Information has been excluded under s.22 FOI 2000.
6. Update on Bicentenary Programme
6.1. The Director presented and gave a broad overview of the activities planned in the bicentenary year, explaining that it was not yet finalised.
6.2-6.3. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
6.4. The Board applauded the strength and ambition of the programme.
7. Update on NG200 capital projects
7.1. Annabelle Selldorf, Alasdair Travers and the Project Director joined the meeting. Annabelle Selldorf gave a presentation on the revised design and scope, which had recently been approved by the Masterplan Committee and which was being recommended to the Board.
7.2. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
7.3. The Board approved the recommendations of the Masterplan Committee both as to cost and the preferred procurement arrangements.
8. Presentation of 3-year National Gallery plan 2022-2025
8.1. The Director of Finance presented the plan which had recently been approved by the Finance Committee and said that additional Covid support from DCMS was now confirmed. The Chair of the Finance Committee congratulated the Director of Finance and his team for the hard work that had been put into the plan.
8.2. The Board endorsed the plan.
9. Update on online booking
9.1. The Director of Digital, Communications and Technology gave a presentation and asked Trustees to approve the recommendation being made in the paper.
9.2-9.5. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
9.6. Following discussion, the Board approved the recommendations being made in the paper.
10. Report from the Managing Director of National Gallery Company (NGC)
10.1. The Chair of NGC said that he had shared some observations with the Managing Director, the Chair and the Director based on his experience of retail. The Managing Director reported on NGC’s 3-year plan which had been approved by the Board of the Company in January.
10.2. She said that retail and corporate hire were doing particularly well and that NGC was in more robust shape than had been forecast a year ago. She reported that Ochre, the Gallery’s newly refurbished restaurant would be opening on 4 April and encouraged Trustees to visit.
11. Committees of the Board and others reporting since the last Board meeting
11.1. The Board noted the Minutes of the Masterplan Committee held on 20 January.
11.2. The Board noted the Minutes of the Development Committee held on 20 January.
11.3. The Director of Digital, Communications and Technology reported that at a meeting of the Digital Advisory Board held on 3 March, the digital strategy was reviewed and would be presented to the Board later in the year.
11.4. The Board noted the Minutes of the Nominations Committee held on 24 February and approved:
11.4.1. James Lambert joining Audit, Finance and Masterplan Committees.
11.4.2. Dounia Nadar joining Governance Committee
11.4.3. John Kingman joining Remuneration Committee
11.4.4. Dounia Nadar and Diana Berry joining Development Committee
11.4.5. The Board approved the formation of an Ethics Committee with Stuart Roden as Chair and Catherine Goodman as a member. The Board approved the draft Terms of Reference for the Committee and agreed to review it after 6 months.
11.4.6. The Board noted the Minutes of the Finance Committee held on 8 March.
11.4.7. The Board noted the Minutes of the Audit Committee held on 8 March.
Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
12. Management Accounts and Development Report
12.1. The Director of Finance presented the Accounts.
12.2. The Director of Development presented the report.
13. Presentation of Annual Funds held in National Gallery Trust (NGT), NGT Foundation (NGTF) and American Friends of the National Gallery (AFNGL)
13.1. The Director of Finance presented the paper, which was for information.
14. Any other business
None
15. Tour of the Piggott Education Centre
15.1. The Board was taken on a tour of the Piggott Education Centre and given a presentation on its future plans.