Karen Quinlan’s blue-sky thinking for the National Portrait Gallery

After two months in the role, ArtsHub speaks with NPG’s new Director, Karen Quinlan, about her international aspirations and understanding ‘the love’.
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Director of the National Portrait Gallery Australia, Karen Quinlan; supplied.

After 18 years at Bendigo Art Gallery, in regional Victoria, Karen Quinlan AM was appointed in December 2018 to head up the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Canberra, the institution’s fifth director in its 20-year history.

The appointment came as the gallery prepares to close its doors this April for six months, to manage necessary building rectification. It presents an opportune moment for recalibration, and as Quinlan told ArtsHub, ‘As we go into our third decade, this moment allows space to position the institution as best I can for the future.’

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina