Arts Minister Simon Crean announced the appointment of Mr Tim Fairfax AM as Interim Chair of the Council and the reappointment of Dr Ron Radford AM as Director of the National Gallery of Australia for a further two years.

 

Mr Crean paid tribute to outgoing Council Chair Mr Rupert Myer AM's nine years of service at the helm of the Gallery.

 

"Mr Myer has many legacies, including the redevelopment of the Gallery and its 11 new Indigenous galleries, made possible through his genuine love of the arts, the links he built between the Gallery and the business community, and his own philanthropy," Mr Crean said.

 

Mr Fairfax is Chairman of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Salvation Army Brisbane Advisory Board, a member of the Philanthropy Australia Council and patron of a wide range of other organisations.

 

Dr Radford will continue to lead the National Gallery of Australia for a third term until 30 September 2014.

 

Mr Crean said that in his first two terms, Dr Radford has overseen the recent extension of the Gallery, an expansion of the collection, an increase in visitor numbers as well as the extraordinarily successful Masterpieces from Paris exhibition.