Aegeus Executive Search
Director, Art Gallery of South Australia
- One of Australia’s finest art collections and home to significant platforms for contemporary Australian Art
- AGSA is a substantial cultural resource for South Australians and a year-round cultural tourism destination
- A cornerstone senior leadership role for the future direction of AGSA and its strategic aim to be the most inspiring art destination in Australia
Founded in 1881, the Art Gallery of South Australia is home to one of Australia’s great art collections and housed in one of Adelaide’s most beautiful buildings in the heart of the cultural precinct on North Terrace.
The combination of a collection built primarily through private giving and a history of purpose-built exhibition spaces has been central to the Gallery’s growth and provides insight into the ambition of South Australia to build for art, excellence and access.
Great museums are defined by their collections and how they are activated and the remarkable AGSA collection, of more than 47,000 works, is the engine room of innovation and imagination. Works of art span 2,000 years, a breadth of expressive art forms, and vast geographical reach.
The Gallery presents a dynamic ensemble of permanent and temporary exhibitions and programs that amplify the voice and vision of the artist and include three nationally leading projects platforming contemporary Australian art: the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art (since 1990), Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art (since 2015), and the Ramsay Art Prize (since 2017).
AGSA engages with more visitors per capita than any other Gallery in the country and does so 364 days per year. As a year-round cultural tourism destination, AGSA brings the best in art to Adelaide, thereby building on the city’s reputation as a bespoke and culturally rich city while generating significant revenue for and enhancing the reputation of South Australia.
A primary goal of the Gallery is to enhance the understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts for people of all ages and backgrounds. By also offering a range of outstanding educational programs and learning opportunities to the thousands of visitors, with the aim to transform every visit to the Art Gallery into a life-changing experience. Amongst these programs and activities are art education programs, lecture series, talks and children’s activities.
In recent years the gallery has substantially grown attendances for special exhibitions, programs and activities, increased private giving, broadened the Gallery’s appeal to a variety of stakeholders through digital initiatives, and implemented an acquisitions strategy that has seen more than 4200 works of art enter the collection.
In 2024 the AGSA Board endorsed a new robust Strategic Plan to 2028 which outlines AGSA’s vision, values and focus areas to achieve sustainable growth into the future.
The new Director will further develop AGSA’s footprint, operations, collections, exhibitions and research as we become the most inspiring art destination in Australia
Please contact the consultant assisting the Board to obtain the link to the Information for Candidates site that has full details of the role and the application requirements:
Tony Grierson
AEGEUS Executive Search
P: +61 8 7160 2383
