Art Gallery Of New South Wales, Sydney
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The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in
The Domain, Sydney The Domain is a heritage-listed area of open space located on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Separating the central business district from ...
, Australia. It is the most important public gallery in Sydney and one of the
largest Large means of great size. Large may also refer to: Mathematics * Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics * Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers * Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms (or ...
in Australia. The gallery's first public exhibition opened in 1874. Admission is free to the general exhibition space, which displays Australian art (including
Indigenous Australian art Indigenous Australian art includes art made by Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including collaborations with others. It includes works in a wide range of media including painting on leaves, bark painting, wood carving ...
), European and Asian art. A dedicated Asian Gallery was opened in 2003.


History


19th century

On 24 April 1871, a public meeting was convened in Sydney to establish an Academy of Art "for the purpose of promoting the fine arts through lectures, art classes and regular exhibitions."
Eliezer Levi Montefiore Eliezer Levi Montefiore (1820 – 22 October 1894) was a businessman, art enthusiast, and the first director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Montefiore was born in Barbados to merchant Isaac Jacob Levi (who also had a home in Brussels) a ...
(brother of
Jacob Levi Montefiore Jacob Levi Montefiore (11 January 1819 – 24 January 1885) was a businessman, financier, writer and politician in New South Wales, Australia. He was born at Bridgetown in Barbados to merchant Isaac Jacob Levi and his wife Esther Hannah Montefi ...
and nephew of
Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...
and
Joseph Barrow Montefiore Joseph Barrow Montefiore (24 June 1803 – 8 September 1893), merchant and financier, was the youngest son of Eliezer Montefiore, merchant, of Barbados and London, and his wife, Judith (née Barrow). Montefiore was born on 24 June 1803 in Londo ...
) co-founded the New South Wales Academy of Art (also referred to as simply the Academy of Art)
Published online 2014
and now known as the ''Art Journal'').
in 1872. From 1872 until 1879 the academy's main activity was the organisation of annual art exhibitions. The first exhibition of colonial art, under the auspices of the academy, was held at the Chamber of Commerce, Sydney Exchange in 1874. In 1875 ''Apsley Falls'' by
Conrad Martens Conrad Martens (21 March 1801 – 21 August 1878) was an English-born landscape painter active on HMS ''Beagle'' from 1833 to 1834. He arrived in Australia in 1835 and painted there until his death in 1878. Life and work Conrad Martens' f ...
, commissioned by the trustees and purchased for £50 out of the first government grant of £500, became the first work on paper by an Australian artist to be acquired by the gallery. In 1874 the
New South Wales Parliament The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Each ...
voted funds towards a new Art Gallery of New South Wales, with a
board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
to administer the funds, one of whom was Montefiore. The gallery's collection was first housed at Clark's Assembly Hall in Elizabeth Street where it was open to the public on Friday and Saturday afternoons. The collection was relocated in 1879 to a wooden annexe to the
Garden Palace The Garden Palace was a large, purpose-built exhibition building constructed to house the Sydney International Exhibition in 1879 in Sydney, Australia. It was designed by James Barnet and constructed by John Young, at a cost of £191,800 in only ...
built for the
Sydney International Exhibition The Sydney International Exhibition was established headed by Lord Augustus Loftus and took place in Sydney in 1879, after being preceded by a number of Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibitions through the 1870s in Prince Alfred Park. Organisa ...
in the Domain and was officially opened as the "Art Gallery of New South Wales" on 22 September 1880. In 1882 Montefiore and his fellow trustees opened the art gallery on Sunday afternoons from 2 pm to 5 pm. believed: Montefiore was president of the board of trustees from 1889 to 1891, and became the director of the gallery in 1892, a position he retained until his death in 1894. The destruction of the Garden Palace by fire in 1882 placed pressure on the government to provide a permanent home for the national collection. In 1883 private architect
John Horbury Hunt John Horbury Hunt (1838 – December 30, 1904) was a Canadian-born Australian architect who worked in Sydney and rural New South Wales from 1863. Life and career Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of a builder, Hunt was trained in B ...
was engaged by the trustees to submit designs. The same year there was a change of name to the "National Art Gallery of New South Wales". The gallery was incorporated by ''The Library and Art Gallery Act'' 1899. In 1895, the newly appointed government architect,
Walter Liberty Vernon Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New South Wales Government Architect he is ...
, was given the assignment to design the new permanent gallery and two picture galleries were opened in 1897 and a further two in 1899. A watercolour gallery was added in 1901 and in 1902 the Grand Oval Lobby was completed. The 32 names below the
entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
were chosen by the gallery's board of trustees president, Frederick Eccleston Du Faur. The names were of were painters, sculptors, and architects with no connection to any works in the gallery at the time. Several calls to replace these names with notable Australian artists failed because the trustees could not decide on alternatives.


20th century

Over 300,000 people came to the gallery during March and April 1906 to see
Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolis ...
's painting '' The Light of the World''. In 1921, the inaugural
Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...
was awarded to W.B. McInnes for his portrait of architect '' Desbrowe Annear''. The equestrian statues ''
The Offerings of Peace and The Offerings of War ''The Offerings of Peace'' and ''The Offerings of War'' are a pair of bronze allegorical equestrian statues by Gilbert Bayes commissioned for the entrance of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. They have been on permanent display since their insta ...
'' by
Gilbert Bayes Gilbert William Bayes (4 April 1872 – 10 July 1953) was an English sculptor. His art works varied in scale from medals to large architectural clocks, monuments and equestrian statues and he was also a designer of some note, creating chess piec ...
were installed in front of the main facade in 1926. James Stuart MacDonald was appointed director and secretary in 1929. In 1936 the inaugural Sulman Prize was awarded to Henry Hanke for ''La Gitana''.
John William Ashton John William Ashton (24 November 1866 – 20 March 1964) was the second Anglican Diocese of Grafton, Bishop of Grafton. Early life Ashton was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1866, the son of George Ashton and his wife Fanny (née Winter). Care ...
was appointed director and secretary in 1937. The first woman to win the Archibald Prize was
Nora Heysen Nora Heysen (11 January 1911 – 30 December 2003) was an Australian artist, the first woman to win the prestigious Archibald Prize in 1938 for portraiture and the first Australian woman appointed as an official war artist. Early years Heyse ...
in 1938 with her portrait ''Mme Elink Schuurman'', the wife of the Consul General for the Netherlands. The same year electric light was temporarily installed at the gallery to remain open at night for the first time. In 1943
William Dobell Sir William Dobell (24 September 189913 May 1970) was an Australian portrait and landscape artist of the 20th century. Dobell won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait artists on three occasions. The Dobell Prize is named ...
won the Archibald Prize for '' Joshua Smith'', causing considerable controversy. Hal Missingham was appointed director and secretary in 1945. On 1 July 1958 the ''Art Gallery of New South Wales Act'' was amended and the gallery's name reverted to the "Art Gallery of New South Wales". In 1969 construction began on the Captain Cook wing to celebrate the bicentenary of Cook's landing in Botany Bay. The new wing opened in May 1972, following the retirement of Missingham and the appointment of Peter Phillip Laverty as director in 1971. The first of the modern blockbusters to be held at the gallery was Modern Masters: Monet to Matisse in 1975. It attracted 180,000 people over 29 days. The 1976 the
Biennale of Sydney The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...
was held at the gallery for the first time. The
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
had been the location for the inaugural Biennale in 1973. 1977 saw an exhibition "A selection of recent archaeological finds of the People's Republic of China." Edmund Capon was appointed director in 1978 and in 1980 ''The Art Gallery of New South Wales Act'' (1980) established the "Art Gallery of New South Wales Trust". It reduced the number of trustees to nine and stipulated that "at least two" members "shall be knowledgeable and experienced in the visual arts". With the support of then Premier
Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman of ...
a major extension of the gallery became a Bicennential project. Opened just in time in December 1988, the extensions doubled the floor space of the gallery. In 1993 Kevin Connor won the inaugural Dobell Prize for Drawing for ''Pyrmont and city''. In 1994, the Yiribana Gallery, dedicated to
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
art, was opened.


21st century

;2000–2009 In 2001, the New South Wales Art Gallery announced that nine of the gallery's 40,000 artworks could have been among the many paintings stolen by the Nazis and that it was undertaking provenance research. In 2003 an ''Art After Hours'' program was initiated with the gallery opening hours extended every Wednesday. The inaugural
Australian Photographic Portrait Prize The Citigroup Private Bank Australian Photographic Portrait Prize was a photographic art prize held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in conjunction with the Archibald Prize, Wynne Prize and Sulman Prize. The winner received $15,000 to $20,000 ...
was won by
Greg Weight Greg Weight (born 2 December 1946 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian photographer specialising in fine art photography and portraiture. Greg was the inaugural winner of the Australian Photographic Portrait Prize in 2003 and his book ''Aust ...
. The Art Gallery Society of New South Wales celebrated its 50th anniversary in the same year and the
Rudy Komon Rudolph John Komon MBE (21 June 190827 October 1982) was a Viennese-born Czech-Australian art dealer, gallery director, benefactor and wine connoisseur. He had a great influence on the burgeoning artistic life of Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. ...
Gallery exhibition space was opened, followed by the new Asian gallery. A 2004 exhibition of
Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealism, Surrealist movements, although his t ...
's work set an attendance record for photography exhibitions, with over 52,000 visitors. The same year a legal challenge was mounted against the award of the Archibald Prize to
Craig Ruddy Craig Ruddy (8 August 1968 – 4 January 2022) was an Australian artist, known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2004 with his portrait of Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil. Early life and education Ruddy was born on 8 August 1968, at Forest ...
for his
David Gulpilil David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil (1 July 1953 – 29 November 2021), known professionally as David Gulpilil and posthumously (at his family's request, to avoid naming the dead) as David Dalaithngu for three days, was an Indigenous Australian actor ...
, two worlds; and the Anne Landa Award was established, Australia's first award for moving image and new media. The
Nelson Meers Nelson John Meers AO (born 1938) was Lord Mayor of Sydney between 1978 and 1980. He holds a degree in law from the University of Sydney. Elected in 1974 as an Alderman of the City of Sydney, Meers served in successive years as Chairman of ...
Foundation Nolan Room was opened, also in 2004, with a display of five major Sidney Nolan paintings gifted to the gallery by the foundation over the past five years. myVirtualGallery was launched on the gallery's website in 2005 and the former boardroom was reopened for display of paintings, sculptures and works on paper by Australian artists. In 2005 Justice Justice John Hamilton of the
Supreme Court of New South Wales The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales. It has unlimited jurisdiction within the state in civil matters, and hears the most serious criminal matters. Whilst the Supreme Court i ...
ruled in favour of the gallery over the disputed 2004 award of the Archibald Prize to
Craig Ruddy Craig Ruddy (8 August 1968 – 4 January 2022) was an Australian artist, known for winning the Archibald Prize in 2004 with his portrait of Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil. Early life and education Ruddy was born on 8 August 1968, at Forest ...
. The same year, James Gleeson and his partner Frank O'Keefe pledged A$16 million through the Gleeson O'Keefe Foundation to acquire works for the gallery's collection. On 10 June 2007, a 17th-century work by Frans van Mieris, entitled ''A Cavalier (Self-Portrait)'', was stolen from the gallery. The painting had been donated by
John Fairfax John Fairfax (24 October 1804 – 16 June 1877) was an English-born journalist, company director, politician, librarian and newspaper owner, known for the incorporation of the major newspapers of modern-day Australia. Early life Fairfax was bo ...
and was valued at over A$1 million. The theft raised questions about need for increased security at the gallery. In the same year the Belgiorno-Nettis family donated A$4 million over four years to the gallery to support contemporary art. In 2008 the gallery purchased
Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a ...
's painting ''Bords de la Marne'' c. 1888 for A$16.2 million – the highest amount paid by the gallery for a work of art. In the same year the NSW Government announced a grant of A$25.7 million to construct an offsite storage facility and a gift from the John Kaldor Family Collection to the gallery was announced. Valued at over A$35 million, it comprised some 260 works representing the history of international contemporary art. The refurbishment of the 19th-century Grand Courts was celebrated in the gallery's inaugural 'Open Weekend' in 2009. ;2010–present A new contemporary gallery was created in 2010 by removing storage racks from the lowest level of the Captain Cook wing, and artworks were relocated to an off site storage. The new purpose-built off-site collection storage facility began operations. The same year, the award of the
Wynne Prize The Wynne Prize is an Australian landscape painting or figure sculpture art prize. As one of Australia's longest-running art prizes, it was established in 1897 from the bequest of Richard Wynne. Now held concurrently with the Sir John Sulman Prize ...
to Sam Leach for ''Proposal for landscaped cosmos'' caused controversy due to the painting's resemblance to a 17th-century Dutch landscape; and the gallery announced Mollie Gowing's bequest of 142 artworks plus A$5 million to establish two endowment funds for acquisitions: one for Indigenous art and a larger one for general acquisitions. Also in 2010 the Balnaves Foundation Australian Sculpture Archive was established, funded by the
Balnaves Foundation Neil Richard Balnaves (5 May 1944 – 21 February 2022) was an Australian media executive and arts philanthropist. His production companies were responsible for bringing '' Big Brother'' and ''Bananas in Pyjamas'' to Australian television scre ...
, "to acquire the archives of major Australian sculptors and to extend research in three-dimensional practice". The 2011 exhibition The First Emperor: China's Entombed Warriors attracted more than 305,000 people and in the same year new contemporary galleries were opened, including the John Kaldor Family Gallery, plus a dedicated photography gallery and a refurbished works-on-paper study room. In August 2011
Edmund Capon Edmund George Capon (11 June 1940 – 13 March 2019) was an art scholar specialising in Chinese art. He was director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1978 to 2011. He was also the chair of soccer club Sydney FC from 2006 to 2007. Ea ...
announced his retirement after 33 years as director. Michael Brand assumed the role of director in mid-2012. ''Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris'' attracted almost 365,000 visitors – the largest number ever to an exhibition at the gallery, also in 2012 and
Michael Zavros Michael Zavros is an Australian artist. Early life and education Zavros studied printmaking at Queensland College of Art in the 1990s. Awards Zavros has won three Australian drawing prizes: The Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award in 2002, Th ...
won the inaugural Bulgari Art Award with ''The New Round Room''. In the same year Kenneth Reed announced his intention to bequeath his entire private collection of 200 pieces of rare and valuable 18th-century European porcelain valued at A$5.4 million. In 2013 the gallery unveiled a strategic vision and masterplan, under the working title ''Sydney Modern'': a proposal for major expansion and renewed focus on serving a global audience. The stated aim was to complete the project by 2021, the 150th anniversary of the gallery's founding in 1871. In the same year, the gallery received A$10.8 million from the NSW Government to finance the planning stages of ''Sydney Modern'', which would see the construction of a new building and double the size of the institution. The money was used over the next two years for feasibility and engineering studies related to the use of land next to the gallery's existing 19th-century home, and to launch an international architectural competition. The International design competition for the Sydney Modern Project resulted in five architectural firms being invited from an original list of twelve to submit their final concept designs in April 2015. A mix of private and NSW Government funds will pay for the A$450 million project, The firm of McGregor Coxall was chosen to redesign the gardens. The project has attracted controversy for its expense and encroachment into the public land of the Domain and the Royal Botanic Garden and its dependence on "much greater commercialisation".


Buildings


The Vernon building

In 1883
John Horbury Hunt John Horbury Hunt (1838 – December 30, 1904) was a Canadian-born Australian architect who worked in Sydney and rural New South Wales from 1863. Life and career Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of a builder, Hunt was trained in B ...
, an architect in private practice, was engaged by the gallery's trustees to design a permanent gallery. Though Hunt submitted four detailed designs in various styles between 1884 and 1895, his work came to nothing apart from a temporary building in the Domain. With raw brick walls and a
saw-tooth roof A saw-tooth roof is a roof comprising a series of ridges with dual pitches either side. The steeper surfaces are glazed and face away from the equator to shield workers and machinery from direct sunlight. This kind of roof admits natural light ...
, it was denounced in the press as the "Art Barn". Newly appointed government architect,
Walter Liberty Vernon Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New South Wales Government Architect he is ...
, secured the prestigious commission over John Horbury Hunt in 1895. Vernon believed that the Gothic style admitted greater individuality and richness 'not obtainable in the colder and unbending lines of Pagan Classic.' The trustees were not convinced and demanded a classical temple to art, not unlike
William Henry Playfair William Henry Playfair FRSE (15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857) was a prominent Scottish architect in the 19th century, who designed the Eastern, or Third, New Town and many of Edinburgh's neoclassical landmarks. Life Playfair was born on 15 ...
's
Scottish National Gallery The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by W ...
,
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, opened in 1859. Vernon's building, housing eight daylight lit courts, was built in four stages. The first stage was commenced in 1896 and opened in May 1897. By 1901 the entire southern half of the building was finished. A newspaper article at the time noted: Vernon proposed that his oval lobby lead into an equally imposing Central Court. His plans were not accepted. Until 1969 his lobby led, by a short descent from the entrance level, to the three 'temporary' northern galleries designed by Hunt. In 1909 the front of the gallery was finished and after this date nothing more was built of Vernon's designs. In the 1930s plans were suggested for the completion of this part of the gallery but the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
and other financial constraints lead to their abandonment.


Captain Cook wing

In 1968 the
New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
decided the completion of the gallery would be a major part of the Captain Cook Bicentenary celebrations. This extension, which was opened to the public in November 1972, and the 1988 Bicentennial extensions, were both entrusted to the New South Wales Government Architect, with
Andrew Andersons Andrew Andersons (born 5 July 1942) is an Australian architect. Buildings he has designed include various extensions to art museums, a number of theatres and concert halls as well as public, commercial and residential buildings. Background ...
the project architect. The architecture of the Captain Cook wing did not attempt to clone the classical style of Vernon's design. Andersons' design philosophy was akin to that espoused by
Robert Venturi Robert Charles Venturi Jr. (June 25, 1925 – September 18, 2018) was an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, and one of the major architectural figures of the twentieth century. Together with h ...
in his book ''Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture'', as Andersons explains: In the Captain Cook wing Andersons divided new from old with a wide strip of skylights in the main entry court. While in the old courts there was parquetry flooring,
travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...
flooring was employed in the new galleries for both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The modern need for flexibility in display layout was answered by the use of track lighting and precast ceiling panels designed to support a system of demountable walls. While the new galleries were painted off white, senior curator, Daniel Thomas, advocated a rich Victorian colour scheme to display the gallery's 19th-century paintings in Vernon's grand courts.


Bicentennial extension

Sixteen years later the 1988 Bicentennial extension was built on the Domain parkland sloping steeply to the east. Within the constraints of two large
Moreton Bay fig ''Ficus macrophylla'', commonly known as the Moreton Bay fig or Australian banyan, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia, from the Wide Bay–Burnett region in the north to the Illawarra in New So ...
trees, and with a substantial part of the accommodation below ground level, the extension doubled the size of the gallery. Space for permanent collections and temporary exhibitions was expanded, a new
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
n gallery, the Domain Theatre, a café overlooking
Woolloomooloo Woolloomooloo ( ) is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Woolloomooloo is 1.5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is in a low ...
Bay, and a rooftop sculpture garden were added. Escalators connected four exhibition levels with the entry/orientation space. Four contemporary art 'rooms' were top lit by pyramid skylights.


Asian Art Gallery expansion

A new space for Asian art was built to add to the existing Asian art gallery immediately below. Backlit translucent external cladding glows at night and has been dubbed the "light box". This addition was coupled with other alterations: a new temporary exhibition space on the top level, new conservation studios, an outward expansion of the café overlooking Woolloomooloo Bay, a new restaurant with dedicated function area, a theatrette and relocation of the gallery shop. The project was designed was by Sydney architect
Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...
and was opened on 25 October 2003. The space involves art from all corners of Asia, including Buddhist and Hindu arts, Indian sculptures, Southern Asian textiles, Chinese ceramics and paintings, Japanese works and more. The aesthetics of the extension were described as "cantilevered on top of the original Asian galleries, the pavilion glows softly like a paper lantern when lit at night" and as "a floating white glass and steel cube pivoted with modern stainless steel lotus flowers". The extension added to the New South Wales Art Gallery, with the new space to house temporary and permanent exhibitions. In 2004 Johnson Pilton Walker won two awards for their involvement in the creation of the Asian Galleries extension, including the
RAIA (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...
National Commendation, Sir Zelman Cowan Award for Public Buildings; and the RAIA NSW Chapter, Architecture Award for Public and Commercial Buildings. Over A$16 million was granted from the NSW Government for this major building project – inclusive also of the
Rudy Komon Rudolph John Komon MBE (21 June 190827 October 1982) was a Viennese-born Czech-Australian art dealer, gallery director, benefactor and wine connoisseur. He had a great influence on the burgeoning artistic life of Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. ...
Gallery, new conservation studios, café, restaurant and function area, and a refurbishment of the administration area. Upon completion the extension was featured in the September–October 2003 edition of ''Architecture Bulletin'' and described the new wing as


"Sydney Modern Project"

Plans to extend the gallery under the name the "Sydney Modern Project" resulted from a competition won in 2015 by Tokyo architects Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa of
SANAA Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
. The chosen design, which proposes a massive extension to the north, has been criticised on architectural as well as public interest grounds. Former architect Andersons described it as intrusive, "colliding" with Vernon's sandstone façade and relegating his portico to a ceremonial entrance. Former Prime Minister
Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He previously serv ...
criticised proposals to significantly develop the outdoor spaces near the gallery for use as private venues as "about money, not art". The Foundation and Friends of the neighbouring Royal Botanic Garden objected to the proposed loss of green space and parkland in the adjacent
Domain Domain may refer to: Mathematics *Domain of a function, the set of input values for which the (total) function is defined **Domain of definition of a partial function **Natural domain of a partial function **Domain of holomorphy of a function * Do ...
, requested a review and negotiated with the gallery about site lines, transport, logistics and alignment of built structures.


Collections

In 1871 the collection started with the acquisition by The Art Society of some large works from Europe such as
Ford Madox Brown Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often William Hogarth, Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his mos ...
's ''Chaucer at the Court of Edward III''. Later they bought work from Australian artists such as Streeton's 1891 ''Fire's On'', Roberts' 1894 '' The Golden Fleece'' and McCubbin's 1896 ''
On the Wallaby Track ''On the wallaby track'' is a 1896 painting by the Australian artist Frederick McCubbin. The painting depicts an itinerant family; a woman with her child on her lap and a man boiling a billy for tea. The painting's name comes from the colloquial ...
.'' In 2014 the collection is categorised into: ;Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art The collection represents Indigenous artists from communities across Australia. The earliest work in the collection, by
Tommy McRae Tommy McRae (c.1835–1901) was an Aboriginal artist who lived in the Upper Murray district of Australia. Early life McRae was a Wahgunyah man whose country stretched from south of the Murray River to near the junction of the Goulburn and Murray ...
, dates from the late 19th century. Included in the collection are desert paintings created by small family groups living on remote Western Desert outstation,
bark painting Bark painting is an Australian Aboriginal art form, involving painting on the interior of a strip of tree bark. This is a continuing form of artistic expression in Arnhem Land (especially among the Yolngu peoples) and other regions in the Top ...
s of the saltwater people of coastal communities and the new media expressions of "blak city culture" by contemporary artists. ;Asian art The first works to enter the collection in 1879 were a large group of ceramics and bronzes – a gift from the Government of Japan following the
Sydney International Exhibition The Sydney International Exhibition was established headed by Lord Augustus Loftus and took place in Sydney in 1879, after being preceded by a number of Metropolitan Intercolonial Exhibitions through the 1870s in Prince Alfred Park. Organisa ...
that year. The Asian collections after grown from that beginning to be wide-ranging, embracing the countries and cultures of South, Southeast and East Asia. ;Australian art The collection dates from the early 1800s. 19th-century Australian artists represented include: John Glover,
Arthur Streeton Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton (8 April 1867 – 1 September 1943) was an Australian landscape painter and a leading member of the Heidelberg School, also known as Australian Impressionism. Early life Streeton was born in Mt Moriac, Victoria, sou ...
,
Eugene von Guerard Johann Joseph Eugene von GuérardHis first name is variously spelled "Eugen", "Eugene", "Eugène", one source mentions "Jean" (instead of "Johann"); his surname is spelled "Guerard" or "Guérard". The most frequent combination is that used by t ...
, John Russell,
Tom Roberts Thomas William Roberts (8 March 185614 September 1931) was an English-born Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. After studying in Melbourne, he travelled to Europe i ...
, David Davies,
Charles Conder Charles Edward Conder (24 October 1868 – 9 February 1909) was an English-born painter, lithographer and designer. He emigrated to Australia and was a key figure in the Heidelberg School, arguably the beginning of a distinctively Australi ...
,
William Piguenit William Charles Piguenit (27 August 1836 – 17 July 1914) was an Australian landscape painter. Early life Piguenit was born in Hobart, Tasmania, to Frederick Le Geyt Piguenit and Mary Ann née Igglesden. Frederick had been transported to Va ...
,
E. Phillips Fox Emanuel Phillips Fox (12 March 1865 – 8 October 1915) was an Australian impressionism, impressionist painter. After studying at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School in Melbourne, Fox travelled to Paris to study in 1886. He remained in ...
(including ''Nasturtiums''),
Frederick McCubbin Frederick McCubbin (25 February 1855 – 20 December 1917) was an Australian artist, art teacher and prominent member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, McCubb ...
,
Sydney Long Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...
and
George W. Lambert George Washington Thomas Lambert (13 September 1873 – 29 May 1930) was an Australian artist, known principally for portrait painting and as a war artist during the First World War. Early life Lambert was born in St Petersburg, Russia, th ...
. 20th-century Australian artists represented include:
Arthur Boyd Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd (24 July 1920 – 24 April 1999) was a leading Australian painter of the middle to late 20th century. Boyd's work ranges from impressionist renderings of Australian landscape to starkly expressionist figuration, ...
,
Rupert Bunny Rupert Charles Wulsten Bunny (29 September 186425 May 1947) was an Australian painter. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, he achieved success and critical acclaim as an expatriate in '' fin-de-siècle'' Paris. He gained an honourable mentio ...
,
Grace Cossington Smith Grace Cossington Smith (20 April 189220 December 1984) was an Visual arts of Australia, Australian artist and pioneer of Modernist art, modernist painting in Australia and was instrumental in introducing Post-Impressionism to her home country. ...
, H. H. Calvert,
William Dobell Sir William Dobell (24 September 189913 May 1970) was an Australian portrait and landscape artist of the 20th century. Dobell won the Archibald Prize, Australia's premier award for portrait artists on three occasions. The Dobell Prize is named ...
,
Russell Drysdale Sir George Russell Drysdale (7 February 1912 – 29 June 1981), also known as Tass Drysdale, was an Australian artist. He won the prestigious Wynne Prize for ''Sofala'' in 1947, and represented Australia at the Venice Biennale in 1954. He was i ...
,
James Gleeson James Timothy Gleeson (21 November 1915 – 20 October 2008) was an Australian artist. He served on the board of the National Gallery of Australia. Early life Gleeson was born in the Sydney district of Hornsby in 1915 and attended East Sydn ...
,
Sidney Nolan Sir Sidney Robert Nolan (22 April 191728 November 1992) was one of Australia's leading artists of the 20th century. Working in a wide variety of mediums, his oeuvre is among the most diverse and prolific in all of modern art. He is best known ...
,
John Olsen John Wayne Olsen, AO (born 7 June 1945) is a former Australian politician, diplomat and football commissioner. He was Premier of South Australia between 28 November 1996 and 22 October 2001. He is now President of the Federal Liberal Party, C ...
,
Margaret Preston Margaret Rose Preston (29 April 1875 – 28 May 1963) was an Australian painter and printmaker who is regarded as one of Australia's leading modern art, modernists of the early 20th century. In her quest to foster an Australian "national art", ...
,
Hugh Ramsay Hugh Ramsay (25 May 1877 – 5 March 1906) was an Australian artist. Early life and education Ramsay was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 25 May 1877, the son of John Ramsay. He moved with his family to Melbourne in 1878. He was educated at Esse ...
,
Lloyd Rees Lloyd Frederic Rees (17 March 18952 December 1988) was an Australian landscape painter who twice won the Wynne Prize for his landscape paintings. Most of Rees's works are preoccupied with depicting the effects of light and emphasis is placed ...
,
Imants Tillers Imants Tillers (born 1950), is an Australian artist, curator and writer. He lives and works in Cooma, New South Wales. Early life and education Imants Tillers was born in Sydney in 1950, the child of Latvian immigrants. In 1973 he graduated from ...
,
J. W. Tristram John William Tristram (7 October 1870 – 19 August 1938) was an Australian artist who painted primarily in watercolour. He commonly signed his paintings "J. W. Tristram". Biography Born at Gillingham, Kent, England, Tristram was the first of ...
,
Roland Wakelin Roland Wakelin (17 April 1887 – 28 May 1971) was a New Zealand-born Australian painter and teacher. Early life Roland Shakespeare Wakelin was born on 17 April 1887 in Greytown, New Zealand. He studied at Wellington Technical School from 190 ...
,
Brett Whiteley Brett Whiteley AO (7 April 1939 – 15 June 1992) was an Australian artist. He is represented in the collections of all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes. He held many exhibitions ...
, Fred Williams and
Blamire Young William Blamire Young (9 August 1862 – 14 January 1935), commonly known as Blamire Young, was an English/Australian artist who painted primarily in watercolour. Biography Early life Young was born at Londesborough, Yorkshire, the second son ...
. Forty four works held at the gallery were included in the 1973 edition of ''100 Masterpieces of Australian Painting''. Selected works File:Charles Conder - The hot sands, Mustapha, Algiers - Google Art Project.jpg,
Charles Conder Charles Edward Conder (24 October 1868 – 9 February 1909) was an English-born painter, lithographer and designer. He emigrated to Australia and was a key figure in the Heidelberg School, arguably the beginning of a distinctively Australi ...
, ''The hot sands, Mustapha, Algiers'', 1891 File:Elioth Gruner - Spring frost - Google Art Project.jpg,
Elioth Gruner Elioth Lauritz Leganyer Gruner (16 December 1882 – 17 October 1939) was an Australian artist. Gruner won the Wynne Prize for landscape painting seven times, the most of any Australian artist besides Hans Heysen. One of Gruner's winners of th ...
, '' Spring Frost'', 1919 File:Arthur Streeton - Fire's on - Google Art Project.jpg,
Arthur Streeton Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton (8 April 1867 – 1 September 1943) was an Australian landscape painter and a leading member of the Heidelberg School, also known as Australian Impressionism. Early life Streeton was born in Mt Moriac, Victoria, sou ...
, '' Fire's on'', 1891 File:Tom Roberts - Bailed up - Google Art Project.jpg,
Tom Roberts Thomas William Roberts (8 March 185614 September 1931) was an English-born Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. After studying in Melbourne, he travelled to Europe i ...
, ''
Bailed Up ''Bailed Up'' is a 1895 painting by Australian artist Tom Roberts. The painting depicts a stage coach being held up by bushrangers in an isolated, forested section of a back road. The painting is part of the collection of the Art Gallery of Ne ...
'', 1895 File:George W Lambert - Miss Thea Proctor - Google Art Project.jpg,
George Washington Lambert George Washington Thomas Lambert (13 September 1873 – 29 May 1930) was an Australian artist, known principally for portrait painting and as a war artist during the First World War. Early life Lambert was born in St Petersburg, Russia, th ...
, ''
Thea Proctor Thea may refer to: * Thea (name), a given name * Ancient Greek term for goddess, including an alternative spelling of Theia * ''Thea'', the former name of the tea plant genus, now included in ''Camellia'' * Thea, a village in the municipal unit Mes ...
'', 1903
File:Frederick McCubbin - On the wallaby track - Google Art Project.jpg,
Frederick McCubbin Frederick McCubbin (25 February 1855 – 20 December 1917) was an Australian artist, art teacher and prominent member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, McCubb ...
, ''
On the Wallaby Track ''On the wallaby track'' is a 1896 painting by the Australian artist Frederick McCubbin. The painting depicts an itinerant family; a woman with her child on her lap and a man boiling a billy for tea. The painting's name comes from the colloquial ...
'', 1896 File:Hugh Ramsay - The sisters - Google Art Project.jpg,
Hugh Ramsay Hugh Ramsay (25 May 1877 – 5 March 1906) was an Australian artist. Early life and education Ramsay was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 25 May 1877, the son of John Ramsay. He moved with his family to Melbourne in 1878. He was educated at Esse ...
, ''The Sisters'', 1904 File:E Phillips Fox - The ferry - Google Art Project.jpg, E Phillips Fox, ''The Ferry'', 1910
;Contemporary art The contemporary collection is international, encompassing Asian and Western as well as Australian art in all media. With the gift of the John Kaldor Family Collection, the gallery now holds arguably Australia's most comprehensive representation of contemporary art from the 1960s to the present day. Internationally, the focus is on the influence of conceptual art, nouveau realisme, minimalism and arte povera. The Australian contemporary art collection focuses on abstract painting, expressionism, screen culture and pop art. ;Pacific art The collection of art from the Pacific region began in 1962 at the instigation of our then deputy director, Tony Tuckson. Between 1968 and 1977, the gallery acquired over 500 works from the Moriarty Collection, one of the largest and most important private collections of
New Guinea Highlands The New Guinea Highlands, also known as the Central Range or Central Cordillera, is a long chain of mountain ranges on the island of New Guinea, including the island's tallest peak, Puncak Jaya , the highest mountain in Oceania. The range is home ...
art in the world. ;Photography The photography collection has major holdings of a wide variety of artists including Tracey Moffatt,
Bill Henson Bill Henson (born 7 October 1955) is an Australian contemporary art photographer. Art Henson has exhibited nationally and internationally in galleries such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Venice Biennale, the National Gall ...
, Fiona Hall, Micky Allan, Mark Johnson,
Max Pam Max Pam (born 1949) is an Australian photographer. Pam's first survey exhibition was held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 1986, followed by a mid-career retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 1991, his largest sol ...
and
Lewis Morley Lewis Frederick Morley (16 June 1925 – 3 September 2013) was a photographer. Biography Morley was born in Hong Kong to English and Chinese parents and interned in Stanley Internment Camp during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong between 1941 ...
. As well as contemporary photography, Australian pictorialism, modernism and postwar photo documentary is represented by
The Sydney Camera Circle The Sydney Camera Circle was a Pictorialist photographic society formed in 1916 in Sydney, Australia. It was most active before World War II, and was influential on Australian photography for fifty years. History The Sydney Camera Circle was for ...
,
Max Dupain Maxwell Spencer Dupain AC OBE (22 April 191127 July 1992) was an Australian modernist photographer. Early life Dupain received his first camera as a gift in 1924, spurring his interest in photography. He later joined the Photographic Society ...
and David Moore. The evolution of 19th-century Australian photography is represented with emphasis on the work of
Charles Bayliss Charles Bayliss (1850-4 June 1897), photographer, was born in Hadleigh, Suffolk, England in 1850.Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
,
constructivism Constructivism may refer to: Art and architecture * Constructivism (art), an early 20th-century artistic movement that extols art as a practice for social purposes * Constructivist architecture, an architectural movement in Russia in the 1920s a ...
and
surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
). Photo-documentary in 20th-century America is reflected through the work of
Lewis Hine Lewis Wickes Hine (September 26, 1874 – November 3, 1940) was an American sociologist and muckraker photographer. His photographs were instrumental in bringing about the passage of the first child labor laws in the United States. Early life ...
and
Dorothea Lange Dorothea Lange (born Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn; May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Lange' ...
among others. Contemporary Asian practices are represented by artists such as
Yasumasa Morimura Yasumasa Morimura (森村 泰昌, Morimura Yasumasa, born June 11, 1951) is a contemporary Japanese performance and appropriation artist whose work encompasses photography, film, and live performance. He is known for his reinterpretation of re ...
and
Miwa Yanagi is a Japanese photographic artist who examines self-image and stereotypes of women in contemporary Japanese society. Yanagi was discovered by conceptual photographer Yasumasa Morimura, who noticed some of her work while borrowing her house as a s ...
. Styles range from the formal aesthetics of early photography to the informal snapshots of Weegee to the high fashion of
Helmut Newton Helmut Newton (born Helmut Neustädter; 31 October 192023 January 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. The ''New York Times'' described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-a ...
and
Bettina Rheims Bettina Caroline Germaine Rheims (; born 18 December 1952) is a French photographer. Career Early stages Bettina Rheims was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Her photographic career began in 1978, when she took a series of photos of a group of strip- ...
. ;Western art The gallery has an extensive collection of British Victorian art, including major works by
Lord Frederic Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...
and
Sir Edward John Poynter Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet (20 March 183626 July 1919) was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman, who served as President of the Royal Academy. Life Poynter was the son of architect Ambrose Poynter. He was born in Paris, ...
. It has smaller holdings of European art of the 15th to 18th centuries, including works by
Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...
,
Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or ...
,
Bronzino Agnolo di Cosimo (; 17 November 150323 November 1572), usually known as Bronzino ( it, Il Bronzino ) or Agnolo Bronzino, was an Italian Mannerist painter from Florence. His sobriquet, ''Bronzino'', may refer to his relatively dark skin or reddis ...
,
Domenico Beccafumi Domenico di Pace Beccafumi (1486May 18, 1551) was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter active predominantly in Siena. He is considered one of the last undiluted representatives of the Sienese school of painting. Biography Domenico was born ...
,
Giovanni Battista Moroni Giovanni Battista Moroni ( – 5 February 1579) was an Italian painter of the Late Renaissance period. He also is called Giambattista Moroni. Best known for his elegantly realistic portraits of the local nobility and clergy, he is conside ...
and
Niccolò dell'Abbate Niccolò dell'Abbate, sometimes Nicolò and Abate (1509 or 15121571) was a Mannerist Italian painter in fresco and oils. He was of the Emilian school, and was part of the team of artists called the School of Fontainebleau that introduced the Ita ...
. These works hang in the Grand Courts along with 19th-century works by
Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...
,
John Constable John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...
,
Ford Madox Brown Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often William Hogarth, Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his mos ...
,
Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...
,
Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
,
Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...
,
Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a ...
and
Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( , ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but t ...
. British art of the 20th century occupies a significant place in the collection together with major European figures such as
Pierre Bonnard Pierre Bonnard (; 3 October 186723 January 1947) was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of color. A founding member of the Post-Impressionist ...
,
Georges Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculpture, sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his all ...
,
Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
,
Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
,
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-centur ...
,
Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and ...
and
Giorgio Morandi Giorgio Morandi (July 20, 1890 – June 18, 1964) was an Italian painter and printmaker who specialized in still life. His paintings are noted for their tonal subtlety in depicting simple subjects, which were limited mainly to vases, bottles, b ...
. Selected works File:Benjamin West - Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant - Google Art Project.jpg,
Benjamin West Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...
, ''Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant'', 1800 File:John Constable - Landscape with goatherd and goats - Google Art Project.jpg,
John Constable John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...
, ''Landscape with goatherd and goats'', 1823 File:Eugène Delacroix - Angelica and the wounded Medoro - Google Art Project.jpg,
Eugène Delacroix Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...
, '' Angelica and the wounded Medoro'', 1860 File:Vincent van Gogh - Head of a peasant - Google Art Project.jpg,
Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...
, ''Head of a Peasant'', 1884 File:Lord Frederic Leighton - Cymon and Iphigenia - Google Art Project.jpg,
Lord Frederic Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...
, '' Cymon and Iphigenia'', 1884 File:Claude Monet - Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île - Google Art Project.jpg,
Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...
, ''Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île'', 1887 File:Paul Cézanne - Banks of the Marne - Google Art Project.jpg,
Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a ...
, ''Banks of the Marne'', 1888 File:Edouard Detaille - Vive L'Empereur - Google Art Project.jpg,
Édouard Detaille Jean-Baptiste Édouard Detaille (; 5 October 1848 – 23 December 1912) was a French academic painter and military artist noted for his precision and realistic detail. He was regarded as the "semi-official artist of the French army". Biogra ...
, '' Vive L'Empereur'', 1891 File:Samuel Peploe - Still life- apples and jar - Google Art Project.jpg,
Samuel Peploe Samuel John Peploe (pronounced PEP-low; 27 January 1871 – 11 October 1935) was a Scottish Post-Impressionist painter, noted for his still life works and for being one of the group of four painters that became known as the Scottish Colouris ...
''Still life – Apples and Jar'' (1912–1916) File:Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - Three bathers - Google Art Project.jpg,
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 – 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-centur ...
, ''Three Bathers'', 1913


Temporary exhibitions

Around 40 temporary exhibitions are held each year; some with an entry charge. In addition to one-off exhibitions, the gallery hosts the long running Archibald Prize, the most prominent Australian art prize, along with the
Sulman Sulman may refer to: *George William Sulman (born 1866), Ontario merchant and political figure *Florence Sulman (1876–1965), English-Australian author and educationalist *John Sulman (1849–1934), Australian architect *Khalifah ibn Sulman Al Kha ...
,
Wynne Wynne is a surname of Welsh origin. This is a list of notable people with the surname, sorted by profession: Art, literature, and music * Bill Wynne (1922–2021), American photographer and writer * David Wynne (composer) (1900–83), Wels ...
and the
Dobell Dobell is a surname. Notable people with the surname include * Bertram Dobell (1842–1914), English bookseller, literary scholar, editor and author * Charles Macpherson Dobell (1869–1954), Canadian soldier *Clifford Dobell (1886–1949), British ...
art prizes, among others. the gallery also exhibits ARTEXPRESS, a yearly showcase of Higher School Certificate Visual Arts Examination artworks from across New South Wales.


The National

The National is a series of biennial survey exhibitions featuring contemporary artists, run as a partnership between AGNSW,
Carriageworks Carriageworks is a multi-arts urban cultural precinct located at the former Eveleigh Railway Workshops in Redfern, Sydney, Australia. Carriageworks showcases contemporary art and performing arts, as well as being used for filming, festivals, fa ...
and the
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), located on George Street in Sydney's The Rocks neighbourhood, is solely dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting, and collecting contemporary art, from across Australia and around the world. It is ...
(MCA) and held across the three galleries. The inaugural edition was held in 2017. ''The National 2021: New Australian Art'', the third in the series, was held between March and September 2021, featuring new and commissioned projects by 39 artists, collectives and collaborative groups. Featured artists included
Vernon Ah Kee Vernon Ah Kee (born 1967) is a contemporary Australian artist, political activist and founding member of ProppaNOW. Based primarily in Brisbane, Queensland, Ah Kee is an Aboriginal Australian man with ties to the Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidin ...
with Dalisa Pigram, Betty Muffler, Sally Smart,
Alick Tipoti Alick Tipoti (born 1975), whose traditional name is Zugub, is a Torres Strait Islander artist, linguist, and activist of the Kala Lagaw Ya people, from Badu Island, in the Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait). His work includes painting, installations, ...
,
Judy Watson Judy Watson (born 1959) is an Australian Waanyi multi-media artist who works in print-making, painting, video and installation. Her work often examines Indigenous Australian histories, and she has received a number of high profile commissions ...
,
Judith Wright Judith Arundell Wright (31 May 191525 June 2000) was an Australian poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award. Biography Judith Wright was born in Armidale, New Sou ...
, and
Tom Polo __NOTOC__ Tom Polo (born 1985) is an Australian artist based in Sydney, New South Wales. His work has been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in several capital cities of Australia as well as in London, England. He holds a Bachelor of Fine ...
.


Brett Whiteley Studio

The Brett Whiteley Studio at 2 Raper Street,
Surry Hills Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. Surry Hills is surroun ...
was the workplace and home of Australian artist
Brett Whiteley Brett Whiteley AO (7 April 1939 – 15 June 1992) was an Australian artist. He is represented in the collections of all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes. He held many exhibitions ...
(1939–1992). Since 1995 it has been managed as a museum by the Art Gallery of NSW.


Programs

;Education Gallery educators produce a diverse range of resources for the primary, secondary and tertiary education audiences linked to the collection and major exhibitions. ;Volunteer guides Gallery guides provide tours of the collection and exhibitions to visitors, including school groups, gallery members, corporate clients and VIPs. ;Conservation Gallery conservators undertake projects to safeguard artworks by preventing, slowing down, remedying or reversing decay and damage while ensuring artworks are safely displayed, stored or transported. ;Public programs The gallery has a program of talks, films, performances, courses and workshops as well as programs designed to increase access for people with special needs.


Facilities

* Café * Restaurant * Library and archive * Study room * Gallery Shop * Centenary Auditorium – 90 seats * Domain Theatre – 339 seats


Governance

The Art Gallery of NSW is a statutory body established under the ''Art Gallery of New South Wales Act'' (1980) and is a body aligned with NSW Trade & Investment. Led by a board of trustees, the gallery also provides administrative support for several other entities, each with its own legal structure: the Art Gallery of NSW Foundation, VisAsia, Brett Whiteley Foundation and Art Gallery Society of NSW. The board of trustees has nine members plus a president and vice president. An executive is composed of the gallery director, deputy directory, and three senior staff members. The Art Gallery of NSW Foundation is the gallery's major acquisition fund and the umbrella organisation for all the gallery benefactor groups and funds. It raises money from donations and bequests, invests this capital and then uses the income to purchase works of art for the collection. The Art Gallery of New South Wales has also developed a sound foundation of corporate support. It presenting partners and sponsors include Aqualand Projects Pty Ltd, EY, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, J.P.Morgan, Macquarie Group Limited and
UBS UBS Group AG is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres ...
. VisAsia, the Australian Institute of Asian Culture and Visual Arts, was established to promote Asian arts and culture. It includes both the VisAsia Council and individual membership. The Brett Whiteley Foundation, promotes and encourages knowledge and appreciation of the work of the late Brett Whiteley. The Art Gallery Society of NSW is the gallery's membership organisation. Its objectives are to enhance members' enjoyment of art, and to raise funds for the gallery's collection. The Society is a separate legal entity, controlled and operated by the Society Council and members.


Directors


Board of trustees

The board of trustees consists of ten members, including the president and vice-president, two of which must have knowledge of, and be experienced in, the arts. The current members of the board are:


Presidents of the board


Popular culture

At the start of the film ''
Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...
'',
Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...
walks past paintings in the Art Gallery of NSW, including '' Spring Frost'' by
Elioth Gruner Elioth Lauritz Leganyer Gruner (16 December 1882 – 17 October 1939) was an Australian artist. Gruner won the Wynne Prize for landscape painting seven times, the most of any Australian artist besides Hans Heysen. One of Gruner's winners of th ...
, '' The Golden Fleece'' (1894) by
Tom Roberts Thomas William Roberts (8 March 185614 September 1931) was an English-born Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. After studying in Melbourne, he travelled to Europe i ...
, ''Still Glides the Stream and Shall Forever Glide'' (1890) by
Arthur Streeton Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton (8 April 1867 – 1 September 1943) was an Australian landscape painter and a leading member of the Heidelberg School, also known as Australian Impressionism. Early life Streeton was born in Mt Moriac, Victoria, sou ...
, ''
Bailed Up ''Bailed Up'' is a 1895 painting by Australian artist Tom Roberts. The painting depicts a stage coach being held up by bushrangers in an isolated, forested section of a back road. The painting is part of the collection of the Art Gallery of Ne ...
'' (1895) by
Tom Roberts Thomas William Roberts (8 March 185614 September 1931) was an English-born Australian artist and a key member of the Heidelberg School art movement, also known as Australian impressionism. After studying in Melbourne, he travelled to Europe i ...
, and ''Chaucer at the Court of Edward III'' (1847–51) by
Ford Madox Brown Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often William Hogarth, Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his mos ...
.


See also

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Bill Boustead William Morris Boustead (3 January 1912 – 15 October 1999) was an Australian Art conservator. He was conservator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 1954 until 1977.

External links

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Art Gallery of New South Wales Artabase pageVirtual Tour of Art Gallery of New South Wales

Virtual tour of the Art Gallery of New South Wales
provided by
Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world. It utilizes high-resolution image technol ...
* {{Authority control Art Gallery of New South Wales Government agencies of New South Wales
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
Neoclassical architecture in Australia Art museums established in 1897 1897 establishments in Australia Walter Liberty Vernon buildings in Sydney Buildings and structures awarded the Sir John Sulman Medal