The Australian former director of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has been appointed to head the Art Gallery of NSW.
Michael Brand fills the shoes of the gallery's former director Edmund Capon, who resigned in December after 33 years.
His appointment follows a wide national and international search.
Dr Brand will take up his post as the ninth director of the gallery in the middle of the year when he finishes his consultancy with the Aga Khan Museum currently under construction in Toronto.
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has welcomed the appointment, saying Dr Brand brings with him formidable curatorial and management skills.
