NATIONAL GALLERY : MURPHY TO HEAD D.C. MUSEUM

Dr. Franklin D. Murphy was named chairman of the board of the National Gallery, Washington, D.C., on Friday, becoming the first Californian to head a board of a major East Coast museum.

Murphy, who is chairman of the executive committee of Times Mirror Co., succeeds Paul Mellon, the gallery’s major patron and its board chairman since 1979. Murphy’s appointment is effective immediately.

Murphy, formerly chancellor at UCLA and Times Mirror chairman and chief executive officer, is also chairman of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York, and a trustee of Los Angeles’ Ahmanson Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Trust and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Asked if he felt that his National Gallery appointment might create greater liaison between it and local institutions, Murphy said: “Cooperation is always possible when one is in a position to put things together, but basically I see this as a free-standing thing.

“In a way, it is not unusual that a Californian would be named to head the board, because the National Gallery is not just Washington’s gallery. It is literally the nation’s gallery. It is supported by Congress with tax dollars, so it belongs to everybody. Look at the current endowment campaign--it has already raised more than the $50 million that was its goal and that money came from all over the country.”

Murphy referred to an endowment established in Mellon’s honor. Income from the fund will be used exclusively to purchase works of art.

Mellon’s retirement is a major event at the gallery. The original building, designed by John Pope Hennessey and opened in 1941, was given by Mellon’s father, Andrew Mellon. Paul Mellon, with his sister, Ailsa, donated the East Building, designed by I. M. Pei, at a cost of $94.4 million. It opened in 1978. The Gallery, which has an annual attendance of more than 6 million, has an internationally known historical collection, mainly in paintings.

Murphy has a long-standing interest in the fine visual arts and is regarded as knowledgable in the field. While chancellor at UCLA he was instrumental in establishing several new art study programs and galleries, including the sculpture garden that is named for him. He has served 21 years on the National Gallery board, longer than anyone except Mellon. (The board has five members who are private citizens responsible for the institution’s financial health. Four ex-offico members include the chief justice of the the Supreme Court, the secretaries of State, Treasury and the Smithsonian Institution. Also named to the board was Washington, D.C., collector Robert H. Smith.)

Mellon, 77, was lauded by National Gallery board president John R. Stevenson, who said, “Paul Mellon has given nearly 50 years of active leadership . . . an unparalleled example of service.” Mellon was first elected a trustee in 1938.