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Director of Major Sydney Museum to Step Down
By Camilla Alvarez-Chow
On October 29, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney announced that director Michael Brand will depart in July 2025, ending his 12-year tenure. Brand oversaw AGNSW’s recent expansion, the Sydney Modern Project, which involved opening the new building Naala Badu and refurbishing its original building, Naala Nura.
Brand joined the Sydney-based museum in 2012 as its ninth director, and has since spearheaded multiple exhibitions on prolific artists such as the Dutch painter Rembrandt, French artist Henri Matisse, and French American sculptor Louise Bourgeois. Brand also introduced the new Contemporary Project series for emerging and midcareer Australian artists.
Under Brand’s leadership, the AGNSW has made diverse acquisitions, including works by Yolŋu artists from Yirrkala, paintings from the Spanish Golden Age, and contemporary South Asian art. He has also ushered in new commissions, such as Taiwanese American artist Lee Mingwei’s Spirit House (2022) and Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s Flowers that Bloom in the Cosmos (2022).
The commissions are part of a larger collection of artworks made specially for the Naala Badu expansion. Since its completion in 2023, the AGNSW has recorded more than four million guests, making it among the world’s top 30 most-visited art museums.
David Gonski, president of the board of trustees, stated in a press release that a national and international search for a new director will commence soon. As Gonski’s own term is slated to end in December, the AGNSW will also be on the lookout for a new board president for 2025.
Camilla Alvarez-Chow is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.
