Edmund Capon - director of The Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia - is to retire at the end of this year, following more than three decades in the position.

During his tenure at the attraction, Capon has been credited with establishing a "sustainable" funding base - primarily through the Art Gallery of NSW Foundation set up in 1983. Capon has also overseen development projects, including work to double the gallery's size in 1988 and the opening and expansion of the Asian Gallery in 1990 and 2003 respectively.

Steven Lowy, president of the board of trustees of the gallery, said: "Quite simply, the Art Gallery of NSW is one of the most treasured institutions in Australia, and especially in Sydney, and Edmund deserves most of the credit for that."