The National Gallery of Australia acquired less art, slashed 24 jobs but attracted more visitors last year as budget cuts forced it into a painful restructure.
The gallery's staff turnover rate more than doubled to 23 per cent as it cut staffing to 282 following a funding cut in 2015, its annual report revealed on Tuesday.
While visitor numbers swelled to 864,600, or 260,000 more than its yearly target and 140,000 up on last year, it grew its collection of works more slowly.
Its 520 new acquisitions fell far short of its 1400 total last year and its yearly target of 900, a figure the gallery said was only a guide.
"Works of art are strategically acquired to enhance the national collection's cultural value rather than simply increase the number of works in the collection," it said.
The number of acquisitions in the year was also determined by:
- works of art available on the market, and their market value
- available funds for purchases
- the amount of private funding attracted by the NGA, and
- a new emphasis on collecting fewer works.
The gallery described 2016 as a "challenging year", echoing comments from its director Gerard Vaughan at a Senate budget estimates hearing in May, but said it was positioned to meet its goals in 2017.
Despite a $1.94 million increase in gallery funding announced in the federal budget, Dr Vaughan has previously said the money would go to other purposes.
Tighter finances had also forced the gallery to rotate its collections more slowly, from every six months to between nine and 12 months.
