THE director of  the Murray Art Museum Albury, Bree Pickering, has been announced as the new director of the National Portrait Gallery, replacing Karen Quinlan, who left the NPG in 2022 to become CEO of Arts Centre Melbourne. 

Before arriving at MAMA  in 2016, Pickering  was executive director of Vox Populi, a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Philadelphia and cultural program manager for the Australian embassy in Washington.

In Albury, she is believed to have designed and implemented the strategic and creative vision for the newly refurbished museum, establishing it as a nationally-recognised destination while also extending its reach into the local community.

Pickering said she was “thrilled and honoured” to be appointed director of the NPG.

“The gallery is dynamic and innovative, and as a young national cultural institution it is well positioned to respond to and reflect upon our culture and history,” she said.