This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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National Galleries of Scotland
02/09/2005
The new Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) has been appointed.
The Board of Trustees have announced that John Leighton will commence the position in March 2006.
John Leighton has been the Director of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam since 1997 and was previously Curator of 19th-Century Paintings at the National Gallery in London.
He has strong connections with Scotland as he graduated in 1982 in Fine Arts from the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh College of Art, and later worked as a tutor in both these institutions. 
Brian Ivory, CBE, Chairman of the Board of Trustees said: "We are delighted to be appointing such a distinguished art historian and gallery director to be the next Director General of the National Galleries of Scotland.
"John has an excellent reputation in the international museum and gallery world and we are all looking forward to working with him."
John Leighton said: "I am very honoured to be offered this challenging post and, while I will miss Amsterdam, it feels good to be returning to Scotland.
"Under Sir Timothy Clifford's leadership, the NGS has become one of the great success stories of the museum world in Europe, with a high reputation for the quality of its acquisitions, scholarship and imaginative programming.
"I am thrilled to have the chance to work with the Trustees and staff of NGS to build on this record of achievement in the years to come."