Minutes of a meeting of the Board held on Thursday 26 March 2026 in the sixth floor meeting room, Hub
Present
John Booth CVO FSA (Chair)
Catherine Goodman CBE LVO
Sir John Kingman KCB FRS
James Lambert OBE
David Marks
Andrew Marr
Rosalind Nashashibi
Tonya Nelson
Stuart Roden
Professor Patricia Rubin
Professor Dame Molly Stevens DBE FRS FREng
In attendance
Erica Boyer - Interim Director of Development
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
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 items 1–5
Sarah Herring - Associate Curator for post-1800 paintings, for item 1
Chiara di Stefano - The Harry M Weinrebe Associate Curator of post-1800 paintings, for item 1
Bart Cornelis - Curator of Dutch and Flemish paintings, for item 1
Kristina Mandy - Assistant Conservator, for item 1
Heidi Weeks - Head of Masterplan Projects for item 8
1. Pictures for treatment:
1.1. In the conservation studio, the Head of Conservation and Keeper showed the Board, following treatment, Bono Da Ferrara’s Saint Jerome in a Landscape (NG771).
1.2. The Board approved the painting as being ready to go back on display.
1.3. Trustees were shown Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne (NG35) and God the Father from the Florentine School (NG3267) for which they had examination reports. The Board approved the treatments proposed.
1.4. Information has been excluded under s.22, FOI 2000
1.5–1.6. Information has been excluded under s.22, FOI 2000
2. Declarations of Interest:
2.1. None
3. Minutes from the meeting held on 29 January 2026 and matters arising:
3.1. The Minutes from the meeting held on 29 January were approved.
3.2. The Chair thanked the Deputy Director for the paper on environmental controls in the galleries, following a question by a Trustee at the January Board meeting. The paper advised that widening the temperature range would not result in meaningful savings.
4. Loans Out:
4.1. The Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department presented the Loans Out paper, which was approved.
5. Information has been excluded under s.22 FOI 2000.
5.1. Information has been excluded under s.22 FOI 2000.
6. Director’s Report
6.1. The Director gave his presentation. He said that Christopher Riopelle had retired from the Gallery but would continue to work with us on two forthcoming exhibitions.
6.2. He encouraged Trustees to visit Stubbs: A Portrait of a Horse which was on display in Room 1.
6.3. He reported that Zurbarán was opening at the beginning of May in the Sainsbury Wing.
6.4. He said that the Articulation Final had been held in the Pigott Theatre the previous week which he and author Ali Smith had co-judged. A couple of Trustees had attended it and found the standards to be extremely high, and the event very impressive.
6.5. Information has been excluded under s.36 FOI 2000.
6.6. Information has been excluded under s.22 and s.36 FOI 2000.
7. Presentation on Project Domani shortlist and ratification of choice of architect.
7.1. The Director gave a presentation. He said that following an intense process, the jury and the wider advisory panel had each reached a unanimous decision to recommend Kengo Kuma’s design to the Masterplan Committee. He said that the scheme had scored very highly and demonstrated clarity of thought and respect for the buildings around it. The decision had been approved by the Masterplan Committee.
7.2. The Board endorsed the Masterplan Committee’s decision.
8. Update on the Research Centre Project:
8.1. The Head of Masterplan Projects joined the meeting and gave a presentation which outlined progress in the Research Centre Project. She said that work would begin onsite in June.
9. Approval of 10-year strategy
9.1. The Director gave a presentation, and said the paper was the result of two years of reflection and discussion with all departments in the Gallery and with the Board.
9.2. Trustees discussed the strategy and made some suggestions. Information has been excluded under s.22 FOI 2000. The strategy was approved.
9.3. The Chair said that further discussion could be had at the meeting in May.
10. Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000
10.1. Information has been excluded under s.36 and s.43 FOI 2000
11. Approval of National Gallery Plan 2026–29
11.1. The Chief Financial Officer presented the plan and said that the Finance Committee had approved the first year of the plan. The Plan was noted.
12. Management Accounts and Development Report:
12.1. The Chief Financial Officer presented the Management Accounts which were noted.
12.2. The Interim 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 NGG Ltd:
14.1. The Chief Commercial Officer presented her report which was noted.
15. Committees of the Board and others, reporting since the last Board meeting:
15.1. The Chair of the Nominations Committee gave a verbal update on progress in the appointment of three new Trustees. The Minutes of the Nominations Committee held on 23 February were noted.
15.2. The Minutes of the Finance Committee held on 21 January and 5 March were noted.
15.3. The Minutes of the Audit Committee held on 5 March were noted.
15.4. The Minutes of the Corporate & Donations Review Committee held on 5 March were noted.
11.5. The Chair of the Masterplan Committee gave a verbal update on the meeting held on 25 March.
11.6. The Minutes of the Governance Committee held on 23 March were noted.
16. AOB:
16.1. The Chair said that this was Rosalind Nashashibi’s last meeting and thanked her for agreeing to take on the role of Tate liaison Trustee and for her contribution to the National Gallery.
John Booth
Chair