Macgregor said she started to contemplate drawing her tenure to a close two years ago. “It’s a funny feeling but it feels right. It’s a relief in fact.”
Her history at the MCA has been colourful. There were public spats with the then Lord Mayor Frank Sartor when an international design competition held in 2001 proposed replacing the neo-classical building with a glass structure – publicly derided as a gigantic Ikea coffee table – sitting over the existing MCA building.
The plans went nowhere but Macgregor secured one-off government funding and Telstra sponsorship to provide free admission,saving the institution from insolvency by dramatically boosting visitor numbers.
Six years later,Macgregor coaxed David Coe and Simon Mordant – two of Sydney’s richest men – to pledge $5 million each towards a more modest refurbishment but that project floundered when the global financial crisis hit.
Mordant took over as chairman and he and wife Catriona pledged $15 million towards the $53 million redevelopment which got underway in 2010 and opened in 2012.
Her mantra,since driving an art bus around Scotland,has been to make challenging art accessible.
“Art is complex enough without using art jargon,” Macgregor said. “Art theory is fine for a catalogue but not if you are trying to encourage people with not a lot of experience of art to visit.”
National Gallery of Australia’s Nick Mitzevich said he admired the “clear way she elevated the voice of the artist and always included that in her discussions,and stoushes”.
“Her vision was calibrated around giving artists a platform,” he said.
Mordant was first to interview Macgregor,then director of Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery,for the MCA position. He said he knew within two minutes that she was the preferred candidate. “She had the energy,vitality,and the vision,” Mordant said. “She wasn’t quite aware then that the institution was close to bankruptcy.”
NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin said Macgregor had led the emergence of a great contemporary art gallery in Sydney and been an extraordinary contributor to the arts.
“She is a real thought leader and has also campaigned for more cultural investment in Western Sydney,” he said. “While her eventual return to Britain has been anticipated,she will be nevertheless greatly missed.”
MCA chair Lorraine Tarabay said there would be an international search for a new director. With the pandemic closing museums across the US and Europe,there could be a unique chance to attract high-profile talent to Australia to consolidate Macgregor’s wins.