When Macgregor joined the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in 1999, her first move was to renegotiate a sponsorship deal with telecom company Telstra that would ensure free admissions to the museum. That move, along with Macgregor’s innovative and savvy programming of exhibitions and public events, has made it the most visited contemporary art museum in the world, according to a report published last year. Like most arts institutions the MCA’s running was largely restricted by health measures and lockdowns, yet it had time to host the 2020 Brook Andrew-curated Biennale of Sydney and a major retrospective of Chinese-Australian artist Lindy Lee, which Macgregor hopes will attract domestic tourists (so does the government, which backed the show via its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW). Macgregor’s reputation on the national level was further confirmed when the government, after failing to implement the $250m arts bailout package announced in June, brought her in to lead a ‘creative economy taskforce’ to advise on its allocation.

The ArtReview Power 100 is presented by BMW Group Culture