For new MAMA chief, Albury has cropped up a lot throughout his working life

Formerly Albury Regional Art Gallery before becoming Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) in late 2015, Mr French said Albury always punched above its weight in the arts, which was evident from his posts with top Sydney cultural institutions over almost three decades.

The National Photography Prize built the gallery's reputation as a committed collector of contemporary photography since 1983.

"I was always aware of Albury because of The National Photography Prize and its photo history," he said.

"In my Sydney work, Albury always cropped up a lot."

Mr Blair opened a show at the former Regional Art Gallery in 2001 and later an exhibition of work by Charles Sturt University students.

He also toured other shows to MAMA.

Now settling into his new role as MAMA chief executive since early February, New Zealand-born Mr French said MAMA was an innovator in the arts world.

Mr French replaced director Bree Pickering, who become director of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra in early 2023.

"After MAMA opened we toured exhibitions from Sydney to the regions and there was a different level of engagement at each venue but MAMA was always the place with close engagement," Mr French said.

"MAMA was always engaged and interested; wanting to question the best ways to work with the artists.

"MAMA is an example of an art museum that is working in a really progressive way with artists; nothing is passive."

A photography aficionado, Mr French worked for top Sydney arts organisations since 1996 soon after moving across the ditch.

He also did a PhD in Art History of Australian Photography through The University of Sydney.

"The National Photography Prize was an important touchstone of contemporary photography in Australia," he said.

Every two years the National Photography Prize offers a $30,000 acquisitive first prize from the MAMA Art Foundation and the $5000 John and Margaret Baker Fellowship for an emerging practitioner.

This year's finalists include leading Australian artists and collectives Alex Walker and Daniel O'Toole, Ali McCann, Ali Tahayori, Ellen Dahl, Ioulia Panoutsopoulos, Izabela Pluta, Kai Wasikowski, Nathan Beard, Olga Svyatova, Rebecca McCauley and Aaron Claringbold, Sammy Hawker and Skye Wagner.

Fittingly, it opens early in Mr French's tenure at MAMA on Saturday, March 23.

"It's a prize but it's also a great exhibition," Mr French said.

"There are many finalists from the younger generation whose work I've had limited encounters with and I'm looking forward to seeing those works."

Mr French was keen to build ties with other galleries, including in his native New Zealand.

He grew up in the North Island city of Hamilton before moving to Christchurch for university to study art history and English.

Mr French had been preparing to tour a show in Christchurch when a series of deadly earthquakes happened in September 2010 and again in the following February.

He saw and felt the destruction there in March 2011.

"There were thousands of aftershocks," he said.

"You can imagine the extended state of uncertainty and anxiety afterwards."

As the then executive director of Artspace Sydney, Mr French was able to get the first SCAPE Christchurch/Artspace Sydney residency for a Canterbury artist off the ground for 12 weeks in late 2012.

Mr French said MAMA would also celebrate its 10^th anniversary in October 2025.

"We plan to develop a program to celebrate those 10 years," Mr French said.

"We want to extend our relationships with the community and work towards our path for progress over the next 10 years."