CANBERRA.- The National Gallery of Australia, in partnership with the American Friends of the National Gallery of Australia (AFNGA), has announced leading contemporary American artists Jeff Koons and Jeffrey Gibson as inaugural participants in the new AFNGA: Visiting Creatives Program.

The AFNGA: Visiting Creatives Program builds on four decades of close cultural ties between the National Gallery and the United States of America and is designed to deepen the transformational impact of cross-cultural exchange and creative collaboration between the two countries.

Developed to nurture creative exchange and enrich Australia’s cultural landscape, the program will bring influential American arts practitioners to Australia to engage with the national collection and the broader arts community.

Two of the United States’ foremost contemporary artists – Jeff Koons and Jeffrey Gibson – will be the first participants in the program and travel to Australia in 2025.

Koons is known globally for his bold works of art which challenge the limitations of fabrication while transforming everyday images and objects. He will be the first artist to visit the National Gallery under the initiative this August. Koons will participate in a special public program, an in-conversation with National Gallery Director Dr Nick Mitzevich, during his time in Kamberri/Canberra.

Celebrated for his vibrant, interdisciplinary practice that weaves together Native American aesthetic and material traditions with contemporary themes, Gibson will follow in October. During his visit, Gibson will present the National Gallery’s 2025 Annual Lecture, which invites leading art world thinkers to present new ideas in the field of art and art history.

Ranging from artists, curators, critics, academics, and other cultural leaders, one to two influential individuals will be selected each year to participate in the Visiting Creatives Program. Their visits, funded by the AFNGA through the generous support of the Pratt Foundation, will involve cultural exchange at the National Gallery in Kamberri/Canberra, with opportunities for interstate travel to deepen their understanding of Australian contemporary art practices.

Participants in the Visiting Creatives Program will work closely with National Gallery curators to explore the national collection, focusing on First Nations and contemporary Australian art. They will also engage with the National Gallery’s significant collection of post-war American art, including Jackson Pollock’s Blue poles and the Kenneth E. Tyler Collection, one of the most important bodies of American printmaking outside the U.S.

Participants are selected for their capacity to elevate the profile of Australian art internationally, particularly within the American art community. Their insights and experiences will help forge stronger ties between Australia and the United States.

Dr Nick Mitzevich, Director, National Gallery: ‘The National Gallery is excited to welcome Jeff Koons and Jeffrey Gibson as the inaugural participants in the AFNGA: Visiting Creatives Program. Established in 1982, the American Friends of the National Gallery of Australia nurtures visual arts and promotes artistic exchange between the United States and Australia. Through generous support, AFNGA has enhanced our collection and programs. This new initiative marks an important development in our cultural exchange efforts, highlighting the richness of the national collection and fostering meaningful connections. We look forward to the collaboration these visionary artists will bring, enhancing our international profile and strengthening our cultural ties with America.’

Michael Maher, President, AFNGA: ‘The American Friends are delighted to partner with the National Gallery in what promises to be a highly valuable initiative, the AFNGA: Visiting Creatives Program. One of our core missions is to elevate cultural ties between Australia and the United States. To help achieve this, we will support celebrated American creatives to immerse themselves in Australia’s most significant art collection. We are certain that upon our creatives’ return to the U.S, they will become enthusiastic and impactful ambassadors for the National Gallery. The power of ‘’people-to-people’’ exchanges to widely resonate, especially in the art world, is well known. Over the next forty years, the American Friends look forward to building the AFNGA: Visiting Creatives Program into a vital platform for enhancing U.S-Australia cultural ties and opening the door for many more Americans to actively engage with the National Gallery’s remarkable collection.