Nick Mitzevich: National Gallery of Australia director puts national art in a wider frame

The Australian’s Australian of the Year nominee Nick Mitzevich has always been moved and curious about art.

National Gallery of Australia director Nick Mitzevich. Picture: Kym Smith

For the past 30 years, National Gallery of Australia director Nick Mitzevich has been committed to prioritising art edu­cation and learning new ways to share a national collection that tran­scends traditional boundaries.

“I felt art pulling me in from a very young age, I gravitated to everything creative,” Mitzevich said. “I have always been extremely moved and curious about art, so learning about it has always been my greatest interest.”

After 18 months on the job, Mitzevich has made strides in making the NGA’s footprint truly national. Deviating from the traditional approach of viewing art based on categorisation, Mitzevich’s inclusive approach has landed him a nomination for The Australian’s Australian of the Year award.

“Throughout my career, I’ve tried to create a level playing field where the history of art is seen from multiple points of view,” he said. “I’ve tried to widen the way art is appreciated and to break down barriers between Australian Aboriginal art and Australian art from a Western perspective.”

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Belonging: Stories of Australian Art is a deliberately diverse arrangement of work of indigenous and non-indigenous artists that hasn’t been divided by time or medium. “The impact of First ­Nations’ artists and the contributions of craft are really important parts of widening the narrative of what art is,” Mitzevich said.

“I’ve tried to create a more open approach to this narrative in the 21st century, prioritising the voice of Australian artists and the work of Aboriginal artists by putting them within a mainstream context. I want to make sure it’s no longer observed through a narrow historical lens.”

Asked why the national collection hadn’t been exhibited this way before, he said: “It’s easy to classify things and put them in their own boxes. It’s much more difficult to set up an engaging narrative that looks at art in a way it’s never been looked at before.”

NGA is one of many galleries worldwide celebrating female artists in a project called Know My Name. Mitzevich says the project, designed to elevate the representation of female artists and to correct gender imbalances in art history, “is an important part of re-contextualising art”.

His prioritisation of making art assessable to everybody through online programs and touring ­exhibitions has become central to the NGA’s presence in the ­community.

We encourage our readers to put in a nomination for The Australian’s Australian of the Year, which was first won in 1971 by economist HC “Nugget” Coombs. Prominent Australians can be nominated by filling out the coupon above, or sending an email to [e-mail] or going to our website, theaustralian.com.au. Nominations close on Thursday, January 23.