Misogyny ‘just a modus operandi for politics in Australia’, says former museum director

Under the leadership of director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, the MCA transformed from a costly institution that recorded just 100,000 visitors a year into a trail-blazing cultural attraction. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

One of Australia’s most influential figures in the visual arts has broken her silence on the bullying and sexism she experienced at the helm of one of the country’s leading cultural institutions.

Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, who earlier this year was appointed Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to museums and galleries”, stepped down as director of Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) last October, after 22 years in the role.