[4] In 1985 he moved to Canberra to work as curator of Australian drawings for the National Gallery of Australia, later becoming assistant director of collections.
[4][3] In 1998, he was appointed as the inaugural director of the new National Portrait Gallery (NPGA) - then occupying a few rooms in the old Parliament House, and with just six members of staff.
[6] In 1999, his exhibition The Possibilities of Portraiture[7] which included both historical and contemporary works in a number of different media, illustrated his vision for the future of the NPG.
During his tenure, he created policies, made press appearances, commissioned artworks, and wrote proposals to acquire individual works.
[4] Other exhibitions conceived by him or created in partnership with him during his tenure, include:[4] In 2010, he was appointed as director of the National Museum of Australia; however, he left the role in 2013, three years into a five-year contract, to move to Melbourne, where his wife Perry was working for the Victoria State Government.