Minutes of the Board meeting held on Thursday 26 March 2020 via Zoom
Present
Sir John Kingman (Interim Chair)
Catherine Goodman
Dame Moya Greene DBE
Douglas Gurr
Lord Hall of Birkenhead (Chair Designate)
Katrin Henkel
Rosemary Leith
David Marks
Tonya Nelson
Stuart Roden
Charles Sebag-Montefiore
John Singer
Molly Stevens
Apologies
None
In attendance
Dr Gabriele Finaldi - Director
Dr Caroline Campbell - Director of Collections and Research
Dr Susan Foister - Director of Public Programmes and Partnerships (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 & Technology
Julie Molloy - Managing Director of National Gallery Company Limited
Anh Nguyen - Director of Development
1. Coronavirus pandemic: Impact on the Gallery
1.1. On behalf of the Board, the Interim Chair thanked and congratulated the Director and staff for the admirable way they had risen to the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic and said that everything had been handled very well. He welcomed everyone to their first meeting via Zoom.
1.2. The Director said that the staff were now working from home, there had been a couple of cases of people with coronavirus symptoms but that no one was in hospital and the Collection was safe. He said that preparations for the Accommodation Hub meant that everyone was able to work remotely and there was frequent contact between the teams via Microsoft Teams and Skype.
1.3. He said that for the time being any loans would stay where they were and that there were no plans to send anything out. He said that the Gallery was planning a daily, ‘Myra-Hess inspired’ programme using digital channels.
1.4. Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
1.5. Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
1.6. Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
1.7. The Chair Designate congratulated the Director and his team and said he thought a ‘Myra-Hess inspired’ programme a good idea, and that the public needed information and something to boost their spirits at a time like this. The Director of Digital, Communications & Technology said that material was being prepared and consideration being given to developing the right messages. He said that there was much demand for output from the media and that Gallery would be collaborating on a BBC ‘culture in quarantine’ programme, among other things; educational resources were being planned for teaching at home and NGX are working on a digital response to the Titian exhibition. The Chief Operating Officer said that the Gallery would be lit up in blue that evening in support of the NHS.
1.8. The Director said that he would include the Trustees in a weekly newsletter he would be sending to staff and donors, which would include a digital report.
2. Declarations of interest
2.1 None.
3. Pictures for treatment
3.1. Following cleaning and restoration, the Board approved Equestrian Portrait of Charles I by Anthony van Dyck (NG1172), Lot and his Daughters leaving Sodom by Guido Reni (NG193) and Adoration of the Kings by Sandro Botticelli and Filippino Lippi (NG592) as being ready to go back on display.
3.2. The Board approved the treatment proposed for The Nativity by Piero della Francesca (NG908).
4. Minutes of the meetings of 6 January 2020 and 23 January 2020 and matters arising
4.1 The Minutes were approved.
4.2 Information has been excluded under s.22 and s.43 FOI 2000.
5. Loans out
5.1 The loans were agreed.
6. Proposed acquisition
6.1 Information has been excluded under s.22 and s.43 FOI 2000.
6.2 Information has been excluded under s.22 and s.43 FOI 2000.
6.3 Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
6.4 The Director thanked the Deputy Director for her long service in looking after the British collection of paintings and said that from 1 April 2020 she would be handing over to Christine Riding, The Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department. He said that the Deputy Director would remain the curator of Early Netherlandish and German paintings.
7. Director's report
7.1 (This came at the end of the meeting). The Director showed the Board some slides of the exhibition in Tokyo, which as yet remained closed. He said that there may be a grand opening in Osaka.
7.2 The Director said that on behalf of the Board he would write to HRH The Prince of Wales to update him and to wish him well.
7.3 The Director reported that Jan Green, the publisher at National Gallery Company (NGC) would be retiring in April. He said that she had given the Company many years of service and had been responsible for many beautiful catalogues.
7.4 A Trustee asked how staff were coping. The Director replied that there was much contact between colleagues via Microsoft Teams and Skype, with daily online meetings being held and that, so far, sickness among staff members was low. He reported that the HR Department were introducing training modules for members of staff to complete if their workload started to fluctuate and there would be the opportunity for some to learn languages.
8. Update on the bicentenary
8.1 Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
8.2 Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
8.3 Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
8.4 Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
9. Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
9.1 Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
9.2 Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
9.3 Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
9.4 Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
10. Committees of the Board and others, reporting since the last Board meeting
10.1 The Board noted the Minutes of the Audit and Finance Committees of 25 February.
10.2 The Board noted the Minutes of the Masterplan Committee of 27 February.
10.3 The Board noted the Minutes of the Nominations Committee of 14 February.
10.4 The Board noted the Minutes of the Scientific Consultative Group of 25 November 2019.
10.5 The Director of Finance gave a verbal update from the National Gallery Trust (NGT) Board meeting of 17 February.
10.6 The Board noted the Minutes of the Development Committee of 16 October 2019 and 29 January.
11. Summary of funds held in National Gallery Trust/NGT Foundation and American Friends of the National Gallery London
11.1 Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
11.2 Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
12. Management Accounts Report and Development Report
12.1 The Board noted the Report, which had been overtaken by the unfolding crisis.
13. Annual Grant to National Gallery Trust (NGT)
13.1 Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
14. Paper on NGT ethical investment
14.1 The Board noted the paper and the Interim Chair asked that any comments be sent by email to the Board Secretary.
15. Any other business
15.1 The Board approved the appointment of Stuart Roden and Douglas Gurr to Finance and Audit committees.
15.2 The Board approved the appointment of Tonya Nelson to chair the Governance committee.
15.3 The Interim Chair advised the Board that DCMS had indicated verbally that the first terms of office of Rosemary Leith and Katrin Henkel, which were due to expire on 28th March, would automatically be extended for 8 months.