New director announced for UK's National Gallery

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The UK’s National Gallery has announced that Dr Gabriele Finaldi has been appointed Director, taking over from Sir Nicholas Penny, who will be retiring in August.

London-born Dr Finaldi studied art history at Dulwich College and then at the Courtauld Institute of Art. He is currently deputy director for collections and research at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, where he has served since 2002.

Dr Finaldi was the National Gallery’s curator of Italian and Spanish paintings, from 1992 to 2002. At the Prado, he has overseen a remarkable transformation of the institution, which included the opening of the Prado extension in 2007 and the Prado Research Centre in 2008, as well as a complete re-hang of the museum’s collection.  

He also spearheaded the acquisition of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Feast of the Wine of Saint Martin and the early and exceedingly rare French panel painting attributed to Colart de Laon, The Agony in the Garden with the donor, Louis I of Orléans.

Dr 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.

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