What do art museums and cathedrals have in common? That they are spaces for the search for the absolute. That people can go on a pilgrimage and be inspired, touched, moved there - sometimes even so profoundly that they are no longer the same when they leave the building. In this sense, the National Gallery, with its world-class collections, truly has a mission.

As part of this mission, the Friends of the National Gallery have repeatedly provided groundbreaking impulses and moved a lot in the past - more than almost any other group of museum friends, including internationally. I would like to strive to continue and further develop this legacy.