“Museums teach you what lasts. I bring that thinking to private collectors.”

STEVEN ALDERTON

About

For more than three decades, I led some of Australia’s most respected cultural institutions — shaping collections, guiding artists, stewarding public trust, and working at the intersection of culture, community, and long-term value.

I served as Director and CEO of the National Art School, Deputy Director of the Australian Museum, and Director of leading regional galleries across Australia. My work spanned contemporary Australian and Asia-Pacific art, major institutional collections, international touring exhibitions, and cultural partnerships across the region.

Today, I bring that same institutional rigour directly to collectors.

I now work with individuals and families across Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai — advising on art acquisition, strategic collection development, and prestige Australian property — while continuing to operate at the board and advisory level across the cultural and philanthropic sector.

What distinguishes my work is not access alone, but judgement: developed over decades inside institutions where decisions must withstand time, scrutiny, and legacy.

  • As Director & CEO of the National Art School, I secured a 45-year lease with the NSW Government, achieved State Significant Organisation status, expanded academic programs, and reshaped the School’s collection strategy for the long term.

    As Deputy Director of the Australian Museum, I managed the world’s largest Pacific cultural collection and delivered landmark permanent exhibitions including Garrigarrang: Sea Country and Pacific Spirit. I also directed international touring exhibitions across more than 20 venues, including the Royal Ontario Museum.

    Earlier leadership roles included directorships at Mosman Art Gallery, Lismore Regional Gallery, and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre — where I developed collection strategies and community-engaged cultural programs grounded in place, history, and relevance.

    Across three decades, I curated major exhibitions featuring artists such as Tracey Moffatt, Ricky Swallow, John Olsen, and Ian Fairweather, and oversaw collections spanning institutional and private contexts.

  • My work has always extended beyond exhibition-making into governance, funding, and cultural policy.

    I have served as:

    • Chair, Creative Capital Arts Funding Board (Create NSW)

    • Member, Visual Arts Board, Australia Council

    • Member, Northern Beaches Public Art Committee

    • Member, 24-Hour Economy Advisory Group (Investment NSW)

    Current roles include:

    • Head of Art & Philanthropy, Hurun Australia — Contributing cultural insight through research, interviews, editorial work, and art-led initiatives, including The Future of Art series.

    • Chair, Sydney Marae Alliance Foundation — providing cultural and philanthropic leadership bridging Indigenous, Pacific, and Australian communities.

  • After decades inside public institutions, I recognised something quietly obvious:
    the expertise that shapes national collections is equally valuable — and often missing — at the private level.

    Collectors navigating Australia and Asia do not simply need access to works. They need someone who understands:

    • how institutional value is formed,

    • how markets evolve across cultures,

    • and how individual acquisitions accumulate into a coherent, defensible collection.

    For Australian, Asian, and UHNW collectors operating cross-border, this requires fluency in both markets and cultures— and an ability to move comfortably between them.

    That is the work I now do.

  • My career has always been international. I have worked across the Asia-Pacific for three decades — managing Pacific collections, delivering global touring exhibitions, and maintaining active institutional and collector networks across Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

    Through Hurun Australia and the Asian Cultural Council, I understand:

    • how Australian artists are perceived and valued in Asian markets,

    • how Asia-Pacific artists enter Australian institutional collections, and

    • how collectors navigate cross-border acquisition, provenance, and cultural exchange.

    For clients operating globally, this perspective is not optional — it is essential.

  • Whether advising a first acquisition, expanding an established collection, or assisting with Australian prestige property, my approach remains consistent:

    • Long-term relationships over transactions

    • Cultural intelligence alongside market knowledge

    • Strategic thinking that builds coherence over time

    • Rigorous standards for quality, provenance, and value

    The same institutional discipline — offered privately.

  • Whether you are based in Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, or beyond; whether you are beginning to collect, refining a mature collection, or exploring Australian property, I welcome the opportunity to work with you.