Gabriele Finaldi has been appointed as the new director of the National Gallery, replacing current director Nicholas Penny who announced his retirement last summer.
Finaldi is currently deputy director for collections and research at the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. Before taking up the role in Spain he was a curator at the National Gallery between 1992 and 2002, responsible for the later Italian paintings in the collection (Caravaggio to Canaletto) and the Spanish collection (Bermejo to Goya).
Born in London, Finaldi, 49, studied art history at Dulwich College and then at the Courtauld Institute of Art. His doctoral research focused on the 17th-century painter Jusepe de Ribera.
Commenting on his appointment, Finaldi said: “I feel deeply honoured to take on the directorship of the National Gallery after Nicholas Penny.
“This is a world-class collection in a world-class city and I eagerly look forward to working with the Trustees and the staff to strengthen the Gallery’s bond with the public and its international standing. I also look forward to developing an exciting exhibition programme and the Gallery’s research and educational activities.”
During Finaldi’s time at the Prado he has worked with its director Miguel Zugaza to oversee the opening of a new extension in 2007, the development of the Prado Research Centre in 2008, and a complete rehang of the museum’s permanent collection.
Privatisation plans
Finaldi has also been involved in an overhaul of the organisational structure at the Prado and his management skills are likely to be tested from the outset when he joins the National Gallery on 17 August 2015.
A dispute over the privatisation of up to 400 of the 600 jobs at the National Gallery has led to a series of strikes by staff in the PCS Union who are unhappy about the proposals. In February, a five-day strike was staged, and most recently staff took further strike action on 14 and 15 March.
In response to today’s announcement, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This looks like a cynical move by the gallery to try to bury this news on budget day, to avoid having to focus on ongoing strikes over privatisation.
“Now the new director has been confirmed, we call on the gallery to halt their plans and allow us time to present our proposals for an in-house option to him.”
A further five-day strike by National Gallery staff is planned for 24-28 March.
