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Speculation is rife about an apparent upheaval in the upper echelons of the National Gallery's ranks as deputy director and chief curator David Franklin has quietly gone on indefinite leave.
Gallery spokesperson Joanne Charette said only that “Dr. Franklin is currently on leave” and that she was unaware of any timetable for his return.
But one former Gallery employee said “on leave” is “terminology they use a lot for people who do not come back,” and that he is widely presumed to have left the Gallery permanently.
If Mr. Franklin does not return, the future of several major exhibitions will be in doubt. He was organizing a 2009 exhibition of Italian Renaissance and Baroque art, and a similarly large Caravaggio exhibition slated for 2011 or 2012.
Mr. Franklin did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
His mysterious absence precedes an imminent change in the Gallery's leadership. A search for a replacement for director Pierre Théberge, now in his 11th year at the helm, is well under way, and a successor could be in place before the end of the year. Mr. Franklin had been mentioned as a possible candidate, and was rumoured to be interested in the job.
Mayo Graham, director of national outreach and international relations at the gallery and a close colleague of Mr. Théberge for many years, will be Mr. Franklin's interim replacement. Both Mr. Théberge and Ms. Graham declined to comment.
The former employee said Mr. Franklin and Mr. Théberge worked very closely together.
