Minutes of the Board meeting held on Thursday 9 July 2020 at 2pm via Zoom
Present
Lord Hall of Birkenhead (Chair)
Catherine Goodman
Dame Moya Greene DBE
Douglas Gurr
Katrin Henkel
Sir John Kingman
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 (NGC)
Anh Nguyen - Director of Development
Larry Keith - Head of Conservation and Keeper (for item 3)
The Chair said that it was an honour now to be Chair of the Gallery. He thanked Sir John Kingman on behalf of the Board, the Gallery and personally for all he had done over the past months as Interim Chair.
The Chair congratulated Douglas Gurr on his appointment as Director of the Natural History Museum from 1 December. He said that he would remain a Trustee of the Gallery for the time being.
He congratulated the Director and the whole team on re-opening the Gallery to the public on 8 July and being the first major National to do so. He said that the DCMS announcement of an additional grant from the government would be reported later in the meeting.
1. Declarations of interest
1.1. None.
2. Minutes of the meetings of 21 May 2020, and 16 June 2020 and matters arising
2.1. The Minutes of 21 May were approved.
2.2. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
2.3. The Director made an amendment to the Minutes of 16 June, subject to which the Minutes were approved.
3. Pictures for treatment
3.1. The Head of Conservation and Keeper joined the meeting from the conservation studio via Zoom. He showed the Board two out of three paintings for which treatment was proposed: An Autumn Landscape with a View of Het Steen in the Early Morning by Peter Paul Rubens (NG66) and Cardinal Carlo Cerri by Jakob Ferdinand Voet (NG174). He explained that the third painting, Cornard Wood, near Sudbury, Suffolk by Thomas Gainsborough (NG925), would remain in the Gallery until the end of the month but that he had included a paper on the treatment proposed. The Board approved the treatment proposed for each of the paintings.
4. Loans out
4.1. The Director of Collections and Research presented the paper which, she said, included changes in dates to partnership exhibitions. She said that it was a time for solidarity and collaboration among museums who were all endeavouring to rescue exhibitions postponed because of coronavirus.
4.2. The paper 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.
5.2. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43FOI 2000.
5.3. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
6. Review of Gallery 'soft' re-opening and first day of re-opening
6.1. The Director said that after an unprecedented 111 days of closure the Gallery had re-opened its doors to the public the day before and was the first major National to do so. He said that the three routes guiding visitors round the Gallery had been very well received.
6.2. The Chief Operating Officer said that re-opening had been a great success and the result of much hard work across all the Gallery’s teams. He said that the press coverage had been extremely positive.
6.3. The Director of Digital, Communications and Technology said that bookings were strong, with more demand than supply for the Titian exhibition which had sold out. He confirmed that 95% of those that had booked had turned up on the first day, but that this would probably reduce over time.
6.4. Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
6.5. The Chair thanked the management team and said that there was much interesting learning, which could be followed through at a later stage. He asked the Director to convey the Board’s appreciation to all Gallery staff. The Director confirmed he would be writing to all staff the following day.
7. Director's report
7.1. The Director presented his report. He said that the Secretary of State had attended the Gallery on Saturday evening along with some Trustees, the Executive Committee of the Gallery and the Chairs and Directors of the other major museums and that all the visitors had been impressed with the refurbishment of the Julia and Hans Rausing Room which looked magnificent. He said that the Rausings had visited the previous week and had been very pleased with the restoration.
7.2. The Director said that there had been an extensive re-hang of the galleries, including the display of some newly acquired paintings and the equestrian portrait of Charles I by Van Dyck which was back in the Gallery after a two year restoration.
7.3. Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000.
7.4. The Director reported that the exhibition of masterpieces from the National Gallery had finally opened in Tokyo on 18 June and that the rest of the tour had successfully been rescheduled.
8. Citation for Julia and Hans Rausing
8.1. The Director introduced the paper and said that it was important the citation went through a formal process of approval.
8.2. The Board approved the paper.
9. Annual Accounts and Report from the Audit Committee
9.1. Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
9.2. Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
10. Management Accounts Summary
10.1. The Director of Finance confirmed that DCMS had made an announcement earlier in the week that the government planned to grant additional funding to museums and galleries.
10.2. Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
10.3. Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
10.4. The Chair thanked the Finance team for all their hard work.
11. Committees of the Board and others reporting since the last Board meeting
11.1. The Chair of the NGC gave a verbal update to the Board.
11.2. Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
11.3. Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
11.4. The Board noted the Minutes of the Governance Committee held on 21 May.
11.5. The Board noted the Minutes of the Masterplan Committee held on 16 June.
11.6. The Board noted the Minutes of the Finance Committee held on 18 June.
11.7. The Board noted the Minutes of the Audit Committee held on 18 June.
12. Counter Fraud Policy
12.1. The Board approved the Counter Fraud Policy and the proposed strategy.
13. Any other business
13.1. The Chair confirmed that he would like to hold a strategy session for the Board over a day and a half in October and that dates were being held.
13.2. The Chair said that DMCS had confirmed that the terms of office of John Singer and Charles Sebag-Montefiore had been extended by up to a year until two new Trustees were appointed.
13.3. The Chair thanked Tonya Nelson for agreeing to be the Safeguarding Trustee and said that the updated safeguarding policy and procedures would come to the Board in September for approval.