Ron Radford
Encyclopedia
Ron Radford has been the Director of the National Gallery of Australia
(NGA) since 2004. He was previously the Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia
in Adelaide
.
He was born in Victoria
and studied at Scotch College, Melbourne
, Melbourne University and RMIT University
. He was an education officer at the National Gallery of Victoria
in 1971 and 1972. He was Director of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
from 1973 to 1980, a position previously held by the founding director of the NGA, James Mollison
.
From 1980 to 1988 he was Curator of European and Australian paintings and sculpture at the Art Gallery of South Australia. As Director between 1991 and 2004, he built up the collection of Australian art, particularly from the colonial period, developed a strong holding in Asian art and expanded the Renaissance collection.
He has been described as "a boisterous, larger than life bon vivant with a wicked sense of humour and an easy ability to dissolve potential conflict with light-heartedness".
Radford has announced his intention to lend out old masters (European art, prior to the 19th century) for long-term display to state galleries. He considers the collection of less than 30 paintings, put together by Mollison to give context to the modern collection, as too small to make any impact on the public. He has been quoted as saying that the gallery should concentrate on its strengths - European Art of the first half of the 20th century, 20th-century American art, photography, Asian art and the 20th-century drawing collection, and to fill the gaps in the Australian collection.
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia is the national art gallery of Australia, holding more than 120,000 works of art. It was established in 1967 by the Australian government as a national public art gallery.- Establishment :...
(NGA) since 2004. He was previously the Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia
Art Gallery of South Australia
The Art Gallery of South Australia , located on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace in Adelaide, is the premier visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of over 35,000 works of art, making it, after the National Gallery of Victoria, the largest state...
in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
He was born in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and studied at Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, Melbourne University and RMIT University
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
. He was an education officer at the National Gallery of Victoria
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria is an art gallery and museum in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and the largest public art gallery in Australia. Since December 2003, NGV has operated across two sites...
in 1971 and 1972. He was Director of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Ballarat Fine Art Gallery
Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest and largest regional art gallery in Australia. Established in 1884 as the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery by the citizens of Ballarat both the building and part of its collection is listed on the Victorian Heritage Registerand by the National Trust of Victoria.The...
from 1973 to 1980, a position previously held by the founding director of the NGA, James Mollison
James Mollison
James Mollison, AO, was Acting Director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1971 to 1977 and Director from 1977 – 1990. He was Director of the National Gallery of Victoria from 1989 to 1995....
.
From 1980 to 1988 he was Curator of European and Australian paintings and sculpture at the Art Gallery of South Australia. As Director between 1991 and 2004, he built up the collection of Australian art, particularly from the colonial period, developed a strong holding in Asian art and expanded the Renaissance collection.
He has been described as "a boisterous, larger than life bon vivant with a wicked sense of humour and an easy ability to dissolve potential conflict with light-heartedness".
Radford has announced his intention to lend out old masters (European art, prior to the 19th century) for long-term display to state galleries. He considers the collection of less than 30 paintings, put together by Mollison to give context to the modern collection, as too small to make any impact on the public. He has been quoted as saying that the gallery should concentrate on its strengths - European Art of the first half of the 20th century, 20th-century American art, photography, Asian art and the 20th-century drawing collection, and to fill the gaps in the Australian collection.
Publications
Radford has written a number of books on art, mainly exhibition guides, including:- Recent Aboriginal Painting incorporating the Maude Vizard-Wholohan. Art Prize Purchase Awards 1988, Art Gallery of South Australia (1988), ISBN 0-7308-0799-1
- Tom RobertsTom RobertsThomas William Roberts , usually known simply as Tom, was a prominent Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School.-Life:...
, Art Gallery of South Australia (1996) - The William Bowmore Collection: The Fine Art of Giving, Art Gallery of South Australia (1999), ISBN 0-7308-3059-4
- Our Country: Australian Federation Landscapes 1900-1914, Art Gallery of South Australia (2001)
- 19th Century Australian Art - M.J.M. Carter Collection, Art Gallery of South Australia (1993), ISBN 0-7308-3008-X