Executive Director - American Friends of the National Gallery of Australia

The American Friends of the National Gallery of Australia (AFNGA) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions received as donations, gifts of works of art and planned giving are tax deductible in the United States. Since 1984, the American Friends has been guided by a board of directors’ resident in the United States who draw on their corporate, personal and philanthropic ties to raise the profile of, and elicit support for, the National Gallery of Australia. AFNGA is seeking to appoint its first Executive Director to lead the organization’s growth with a key emphasis on Development activities including donor cultivation, major gifts, and relationship management; strategic planning, programming, and financial oversight. The Executive Director will maintain strong relationships with the board of directors’ and ensure AFNGA aligns with its mission and achieves its goals within the limitations of a non-profit structure; and guiding its day-to-day activities and long-term vision.

About AFNGA

The American Friends of the National Gallery of Australia (the American Friends) is an independent charitable organization dedicated to nurturing the visual arts and promoting artistic exchange between the United States and Australia. Established in the Gallery’s opening year – 1982 – the American Friends donates significant works of art to the national collection, provides targeted support to exhibition and education programs, and co-sponsors an annual fellowship for Australian visual arts students to advance their studies in the United States.

Our History

The American Friends was founded in December 1982 by the National Gallery of Australia Council’s inaugural chair, L. Gordon Darling AC CMG, with assistance from a handful of prominent New Yorkers who had connections to Australia. Darling, who went on to be a leading supporter of the National Gallery for more than 30 years, once stated that the organization was established “to find a way to capture some of the goodwill that existed in America for Australia”. Early on, the mission was led primarily by Darling and founding National Gallery director James Mollison AO, who would travel to the United States twice yearly to meet with potential donors and seek their support. Since 1984, the American Friends has been guided by a board of directors resident in the United States, currently comprising eight members. These individuals draw on their corporate, personal and philanthropic ties to raise the profile of, and elicit support for, the National Gallery of Australia. Over its 40-year history, the organization has facilitated gifts of key works to Australia’s national art collection by artists including Virginia Cuppaidge, Jim Dine, Russell Drysdale, Philip Guston, Agnes Martin, Sidney Nolan, Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol. The combined value of works donated to date is in excess of $40 million. Since 2012, the American Friends and education partner the American Australian Association have given Australian visual arts students the opportunity to continue their studies in the US through the AusArt Fellowship.

Further information and the Job Description is available on request from Daniel Tobin AFNGA Chair [email protected]

08/01/2025