Minutes of a meeting of the Board held on Thursday 30 November 2023
Present
John Booth (Chair)
Diana Berry
Catherine Goodman LVO
Katrin Henkel
Sir John Kingman KCB FRS
James Lambert OBE
Rosemary Leith
David Marks
Rosalind Nashashibi
Tonya Nelson
Professor Molly Stevens FRS
Apologies
Dounia Nadar
Stuart Roden
In attendance
Dr Gabriele Finaldi - Director
Paul Gray - Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer
Andy Hibbert - Director of Finance and Resources
Victoria Hayes - Secretary to the Board and Head of Governance (Minutes)
Jane Knowles - Director of Public Engagement
Anh Nguyen - Director of Development
Susan Noonan - Chief Commercial Officer
Christine Riding - Director of Collections and Research
Larry Keith - Keeper and Head of Conservation for item 1
Christopher Riopelle - The Neil Westreich Curator of Post-1800 Paintings for item 1
Per Rumberg - Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department for items 1‒5
Ben Browne - Security Adviser for item 6.2
Katie Holyoak - Digital Dossier Senior Project Manager for item 7
Alexandra Kavanagh - Head of National Touring Exhibitions for item 8
Francesca Whitlum-Cooper - Acting Curator of Later Italian, Spanish and French paintings for item 8
Lawrence Chiles - Head of Digital Services for item 8
Sarah Younger - NG200 Project Director for item 8
In attendance from Lintstock:
Oliver Ziehn - Partner
Kate Barclay - Associate
1. Pictures for treatment
1.1. In the conservation studio, the Chair introduced Oliver Ziehn and Kate Barclay who were attending the meeting as observers and have been conducting an external Board Effectiveness Review.
1.2. The Head of Conservation and Keeper showed the Board, following treatment, Parmigianino’s The Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Jerome (1526‒7) (NG33) and Diego Velázquez’s, The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’) (NG2057). The Board approved the paintings as being ready to go back on display.
1.2‒1.4 Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000
2. Declarations of Interest:
2.1. A Trustee declared that he had been appointed a Director of Castle Howard Estates Ltd.
3. Minutes of the meeting held on 28 September 2023 and matters arising:
3.1. The Minutes were approved.
3.2. The actions are ongoing.
4. Loans Out paper
4.1. The Director of Collections and Research presented the loans out paper, which was approved.
5. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
5.1. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
6. Director’s Report
6.1. The Director gave his presentation.
6.2. The Security Adviser joined the meeting and reported on the attack on 'The Rokeby Venus' by Just Stop Oil protestors in October.
6.3. The Director said that the Board had agreed to host a Board Apprentice, an initiative being run by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and had been allocated a candidate who would join the Board for a year from 1 January 2024.
6.4. He said that the International 'Masterpieces Tour' had opened in Hong Kong the previous week which he and two other Directors had attended, and that the exhibition had been extremely successful in reaching new audiences.
6.5. Since the last meeting, he said the Gallery had finalised the acquisition of Abraham Bloemart’s Lot and His Daughters which had been on long loan to the Gallery and which, following restoration, would be going back on display in December.
7. Presentation of the Digital Dossier Programme
7.1. The Digital Dossier Senior Project Director joined the meeting and gave a presentation to update the Board on progress in the Digital Dossier Programme.
8. Presentation of National Treasures tour and Digital update. Update on NG200 Welcome and Programme
8.1. The Head of National Touring Exhibitions and the Acting Curator of Later Italian, Spanish and French Paintings gave a presentation on the National Treasures tour.
8.2. The Head of Digital Services gave a presentation on the Digital programme.
8.3. The Project Director updated Trustees on the capital projects.
9. Committees of the Board and others, reporting since the last Board meeting
9.1. The Board noted the Minutes of the Masterplan Committees held on 20 September and 13 November.
9.2. The Chair of the Bicentenary Board updated the Board on a meeting held on 5 October
9.3. The Board noted the Minutes of the Finance Committee held on 12 October
9.4. The Board noted the Minutes of the Audit Committee held on 12 October
9.5. The Board noted the Minutes of the Nominations Committee held on 6 November
9.6. The Chair of the Digital Advisory Board updated the Board on a meeting held on 9 November
9.7. The Chair updated the Board on a meeting of the Development Committee held on 15 November
9.8. The Chair of NGG Ltd and the Chief Commercial Officer updated the Board on performance in the Company.
10. Management Accounts and Development Report
10.1. The Director of Finance and Resources presented the Accounts, which were noted.
10.2. The Director of Development presented the Development Report, which was noted.
11. Annual Safeguarding report
11.1. The safeguarding Trustee introduced the paper and said that safeguarding training for all Trustees would be offered at the next Board meeting.
12. Appointment of Class A Directors to the American Friends of the National Gallery (AFNGL)
12.1. The Board approved the proposed appointments.
13. AOB
13.1. A Trustee observed how beautiful the Gallery looked now the entire façade had been cleaned. The Chair expressed the Board’s gratitude to the benefactors who had supported the work.