Minutes of a meeting of the Board held on Thursday 20 March 2025
Present
John Booth CVO FSA (Chair)
Diana Berry
Catherine Goodman CBE LVO
Sir John Kingman KCB FRS
James Lambert OBE
David Marks
Tonya Nelson
Stuart Roden
Professor Patricia Rubin
Professor Dame Molly Stevens DBE FRS FREng
Apologies
Andrew Marr
Dounia Nadar
Rosalind Nashashibi
In attendance
Sir Gabriele Finaldi - Director
Paul Gray - Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer
Victoria Hayes - Secretary to the Board and Head of Governance (Minutes)
Andy Hibbert - Chief Financial Officer
Jane Knowles - Director of Public Engagement
Anh Nguyen - Director of Development
Susan Noonan - Chief Commercial Officer, National Gallery Global Ltd
Christine Riding - Director of Collections and Research
John Stack - Director of Digital Innovation and Technology
Larry Keith - Keeper and Head of Conservation for item 1
Per Rumberg - The Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department for item 1‒5
Jill Dunkerton - Restorer for item 1
Dr Imogen Tedbury - Curator of Later Italian, Spanish and French Paintings for item 1
Dr Laura Llewellyn - Curator of Italian Paintings before 1500 for item 2
1. Pictures for treatment:
1.1. In the conservation studio, the Head of Conservation and Keeper showed the Board, following treatment, Antonello da Messina’s Saint Jerome in his Study (NG1418), Peter Paul Rubens’s Portrait of Susanna Lunden (?) (‘Le Chapeau de Paille’) (NG852) and A Landscape with a Shepherd and his Flock (NG157). The Board approved the paintings as being ready to go back on display.
1.2. Trustees were shown Marco Palmezzano’s The Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Saint Valerian and Saint Mercurialis (NG596) for which they had an examination report. The Board approved the treatments proposed. For information, Trustees were shown Masaccio’s The Virgin and Child (NG3046) and Floris van Dijck’s A uitgestald or ‘display piece’ still life, 1622 (M1687/NG6706).
1.3. The Head of Conservation and Keeper showed the Board Guercino’s, King David (L1105), for which they had an acquisition paper. The Curator of Later Italian, Spanish and French Paintings presented the picture, which had been painted by Guercino as a pendant firstly to his The Cumaean Sibyl with a Putto (NG6618) and secondly to The Samian Sibyl with a Putto, (NG6618) both now in the collection of the National Gallery and which was being offered as an acceptance in lieu from the estate of the late Lord Rothschild.
2. Tour of Sainsbury Wing galleries and Room 34
2.1. From the conservation studio, Trustees and the Executive Committee were taken to see progress in the rehanging of the Sainsbury Wing galleries, which were presented by the Curator of Italian Paintings before 1500.
2.2 The Director of Collections and Research presented the rehang in Room 34.
3. Declarations of Interest:
3.1. There were no declarations of interest.
4. Minutes from the meeting held on 30 January 2025 and matters arising:
4.1. The Minutes from the meeting held on 30 January were approved.
4.2. There were no matters arising.
5. Loans Out:
5.1. The Chair congratulated The Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department and curators for the success of the rehang so far.
5.2. The Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department presented the Loans Out paper, which was approved.
6. Potential Acquisition:
6.1. The Director said that Trustees had been shown Guercino’s King David (L1105) in the conservation studio which had gone to the acquisition in lieu panel with a recommendation that it comes to the National Gallery. He said it would be a fantastic addition to the collection and would be treated as a Bicentenary acquisition. The Board approved accepting the painting.
7. Director’s Report:
7.1. The Director gave his presentation. He reported on the very successful opening of the Roden Centre for Creative Learning in late February and subsequent activities. It is the first of the capital projects to be completed.
7.2. He said that completion of work in the Sainsbury Wing was progressing well, as was C C Land The Wonder of Art rehang, which Trustees had seen earlier.
7.3. He reported that Ming Wong had been appointed as the 2025 Artist in Residence.
7.4. He said that the NG200 digital projects had had a successful press launch earlier in the week and that the Imaginarium was now live on the website, for which Ben Okri had written a poem.
7.5. He said that 'José María Velasco: A View of Mexico' was opening the following week.
7. Presentation on The Triumph of Art:
7.1. The Curator of Modern and Contemporary Projects joined the meeting and gave a presentation on The Triumph of Art, a project being organised with contemporary artist Jeremy Deller across the four nations, culminating in a participatory event in Trafalgar Square to mark the end of the Bicentenary celebrations.
8. Update on Saint Vincent House:
8.1–8.2. Information has been excluded under s.22, s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000
9. Update on NG200 Welcome and Bicentenary Programme:
9.1. The Deputy Director presented a paper on the NG200 Welcome projects and said that the ground and first floors of the Sainsbury Wing had now been handed back to the Gallery for fit-out. He offered Trustees a tour at the end of the meeting.
9.2. He said that we are nearing completion of the NG200 Bicentenary Programme.
10. Presentation on the Visitor Welcome in the Sainsbury Wing:
10.1. The Deputy Director, Chief Commercial Officer and Director of Digital Innovation and Technology gave a presentation on plans for the welcome in the Sainsbury Wing.
11. Presentation of National Gallery 3-year plan 2025-2028:
11.1. The Chief Financial Officer presented the Plan. Information has been excluded under s.43 FOI 2000.
11.2. The Chairman of the Finance Committee said that the Plan had been approved by Finance Committee and congratulated the Head of Finance and the Finance Department for their hard work in producing the Plan.
11.3. The Board approved the Plan.
12. Management Accounts and Development Report:
12.1. The Chief Financial Officer presented the Management Accounts which were noted.
12.2. The Director of Development presented the Development Report which was noted.
13. Annual presentation of funds held in NGT/NGTF/AFNGL:
13.1. The Chief Financial Officer presented the paper which was noted.
14. Report from the Chief Commercial Officer of National Gallery Global Ltd:
14.1. The Chair of National Gallery Global Ltd congratulated the Chief Commercial Officer on the Company’s performance, particularly throughout the run of 'Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers'.
14.2. The Chief Commercial Officer presented her paper and gave a short presentation. The paper was noted.
15. Committees of the Board and others, reporting since the last Board meeting:
15.1. The Minutes of the Scientific Consultative Group, 23 January were noted.
15.2. The Minutes of the Development Committee held on 4 March were noted.
15.3. The Minutes of the Finance Committee held on 4 March were noted.
15.4. The Minutes of the Audit Committee held on 4 March were noted.
15.5. The Minutes of the Corporate and Donations Review Committee were noted. The Board approved the Committee’s recommendations contained in Appendix A to the Minutes.
15.4. The Chair of the Masterplan Committee updated Trustees on a Masterplan Committee meeting held on 10 March. The Minutes of the meeting held on 16 January were noted.
16. AOB:
16.1. The Chair reported that he had recently been re-appointed by the Prime Minister for a further four years.
16.2. He said that at the request of DCMS, the Gallery would be hosting a reception the following week for representatives from other ALBs, which the Secretary of State and Arts Minister would be attending.
John Booth
Chair