Nick Mitzevich to Lead National Gallery of Australia Amid Federal Funding Investigation

Nick Mitzevich will become director of the National Gallery of Australia on 2 July 2018, replacing Gerard Vaughan who announced retirement plans last year. Mitzevich previously led the Art Gallery of South Australia since 2010, overseeing four Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art editions and more than fifty exhibitions. His appointment occurs during a federal investigation into funding for Canberra's museums and galleries, which have faced budget reductions estimated at AUS$30 million since the current government coalition formed in 2013. NGA chairman Allan Myers commended Vaughan's tenure beginning in 2014, highlighting an independent review of the gallery's Asian art collection that identified 22 works with questionable documentation, a major collection rehang, and new philanthropic initiatives developed despite funding constraints that closed NGA Contemporary. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the appointment.