About the Collection
Works of art
loan guidelines

The Council of the National Gallery of Australia (the Gallery) supports an active program of loans from its collection.

The Gallery balances the work involved in these loans with its own program of exhibitions and gallery displays. Likewise, the benefit of increased public access to works of art must be offset against the Gallery’s programs and the costs of packing, transportation, handling, installation and exhibition. Loan requests are subject to a formal approval procedure.

This document explains how to apply to borrow works of art, the approval procedure, and the conditions which a borrower will be expected to meet in order for the loan to proceed.

Related forms

• display case form (pdf 54k)
• standard facility report (word 491k)
• standard loan conditions (pdf 29k)

Preliminary enquiries
Curatorial staff are always happy to advise about the selection and general availability of works for loan. The Gallery welcomes early discussions and, where possible, an actual visit to view any works under consideration. Preliminary research about a loan should be carried out well in advance so that the formal request can be made in time.

Formal request
A request to borrow works of art from the Gallery’s collection must be in the form of a letter addressed in the first instance to the Director of the Gallery who will refer the request to the relevant department. The borrower should make a clear case for the importance, contribution and relevance of the exhibition to art historical knowledge and why the works are wanted. Subsequent correspondence will normally be with the Gallery’s registration staff.

Formal request for loans should include the following:

• title of the exhibition (working title)
• exhibition venues and dates
• name, address, telephone and fax number of the exhibition organiser
• name, address, telephone and fax number for person responsible for the exhibition at each venue
• scope of the exhibition
• list of works requested quoting Gallery accession numbers where possible (these can be obtained from the Gallery’s web site www.nga.gov.au)
• reasons for inclusion of the Gallery’s works of art

Any subsequent changes to these details must be confirmed in writing. Please note that, in the event of a work of art is originally requested and then no longer required by the borrower, the Gallery will not consider a substitution within the framework of the initial application.

Deadline
After receiving a formal request, the Gallery's approval procedure for loans involves discussions between conservation, registration and curatorial staff. In principle, all loan requests should be made 12 months in advance of the loan period. This is to allow sufficient time for the request to be fully considered, any necessary conservation treatment and preparation to be carried out, security and environmental checks, as well as accommodating other loan commitments and the Gallery’s own needs. Changes to or additions to the venues will not normally be considered after the request has been received.

Approvals procedure
All requests are considered on merit and contribution to art historical knowledge. Curatorial staff will identify whether the work is available for loan, consider its relevance to the exhibition, note whether it is already committed to another borrower, or whether it is central to a display in the Gallery. A curator and conservator will check each work to decide if it is suitable for loan. Works on paper are generally only available for loans of three months. Gallery conservation, curatorial and registration staff will also check that the administration and preparation of the loan can be scheduled into the other work of the Gallery.

All borrowers are required to complete a Gallery Standard Facilities Report form. Gallery staff will assesses this information.

The Loan Agreement – responsibilities of the borrower
If the work of art is assessed by the Gallery as suitable for loan, registration staff will prepare a formal loan agreement setting out the responsibilities of the borrower in connection with the loan. The standards that must be met are strict and meet the requirements of the Gallery Council, which ultimately accepts the risk of loss or damage to the collection. Any delay by the borrower must be discussed as early as possible because the loan cannot proceed until a copy of the Gallery loan agreement has been signed and returned to the Registrar. The signatory on behalf of the borrower must be authorised in appropriate documentation by the borrower to sign the Gallery loan agreement.

The loan agreement will be written in English and this text must not be altered.

Costs covered by the borrower
At the end of the loan period, the borrower will be invoiced for the actual cost incurred by the Gallery in respect of the following:

• conservation preparation (when this is required to protect the work in transit/display)
• packing and crating for shipment to borrower and for return to the Gallery
• transport
• photography (hire and reproduction where applicable)
• forwarding agents fees
• courier travel fares, accommodation and subsistence
• insurance during transportation and while with the borrower
• Australian Quarantine Inspection Service fee (where applicable)
• inspection of long term loans by Gallery staff or approved agent

Borrowers will also be charged if installation by Gallery staff has been made a condition of the loan and they are required to work beyond their normal working hours at the borrower’s venue.

Since loan costs can often form a large part of the exhibition budget, borrowers must ensure that they have been costed. The Gallery will always endeavour to inform borrowers of any additional costs as early as possible.

Insurance – domestic loans
Where the Gallery is satisfied that all the conditions of loan will be met and the venue is approved, the Gallery will require the borrower to insure the work with Comcover, at the borrower’s expense. Comcover is the Australian government insurance agency that is contracted to provide insurance to the Gallery. Where the Gallery agrees to use the borrower’s insurance, works from the collection cannot be released without written proof of adequate insurance cover. In the case of a borrower operating a touring exhibition, a single policy must usually cover all journeys and exhibition venues.

Insurance – international loans
The Gallery may be prepared to accept indemnity offered by the borrower’s government, provided that a copy of the indemnity and certificate of currency is deposited with the Registrar at least six weeks before the works are to be collected. Otherwise, the Gallery will insure the works with Comcover, and the borrower will be expected to pay the premium. Works from the collection cannot be released without proof of adequate insurance cover. In the case of a touring exhibition, a single policy must usually cover all journeys and exhibition venues.