If you’re one to enjoy gazing at gallery walls, then you must visit these 10 Australian art galleries. From revered European masterpieces to contemporary Australia portraits, Aboriginal art and everything in between these galleries hold priceless collections of art curated for public enjoyment.
As one of the largest public galleries in Australia and the most significant in Sydney, the Art Gallery of New South Wales certainly evokes a sense of grandeur with its neoclassical Greek frontage. Inside, the collection is just as incomparable. Established in 1871, the gallery features fine art from European masters such as Vincent van Gogh, as well as Australian artists including Frederick McCubbin and John Olsen.
Described by David Walsh as a “subversive adult Disneyland,” the Museum of Old and New Art is the largest privately owned art gallery in Australia. With a collection of 1,900 works of art and counting, the gallery has become one of Hobart’s most popular attractions since opening in 2011. From Egyptian antiquities, to contemporary art from the David Walsh collection, MONA maintains a diverse collection.
655 Main Road Berriedale Hobart TAS Australia + 61 3 6277 9900
Untitled (all) Hans-Jörg Georgi 2010–15 | © Moorilla Gallery/Flickr Courtesy of MONA
While painted Tom Roberts proposed a national portrait gallery in the early 1900s, it wasn’t until 1998 that the collection was established in Canberra. Painting a quintessentially Australian history, the gallery holds over 400 portraits of Australia’s most influential faces including Howard Arkley’s Nick Cave, John Webber’s portrait of Captain James Cook and Barry Humphrey’s Self Portrait.
King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT Australia +61 2 6102 7000
Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery
With over 38,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of South Australia holds the country’s second largest state art collection. Established in 1881, AGSA is known for its impressive collection of Indigenous Australian and colonial art as well as a significant collection of Pre-Raphaelite art and works of Heidelberg School. The gallery is also the only dedicated Islamic gallery space in Australia.
From humble beginnings as a not-for-profit exhibition and resource hub, the Centre for Contemporary Photography has established itself as a photo-based arts space. Located in Fitzroy, CCP features five exhibition spaces including two galley-style galleries and a Night Projection Window. The gallery showcases work from emerging and established photographic artists and often hosts festivals, lectures and master classes.
Centre for Contemporary Photography, 404 George Street, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia +61 03 9417 1549
CCP Exterior: Photo by Paul Knight Courtsey of CCP
Established in 1895, The Queensland Art Gallery didn’t find a permanent home until a purpose-built facility opened on Brisbane’s South Bank in 1982. Together with its sister, the Gallery of Modern Art QAGOMA holds over 17,000 works of art including Pablo Picasso’s La Belle Hollandaise and Richard Godfrey Rivers‘s Under the Jacaranda. QAGOMA also features the Australian Cinémathèque, the only cinema space within an Australian art museum.
Stanley Place, Cultural Precinct South Bank, Brisbane QLD Australia + 61 7 3840 7303
What began as an artist’s cottage in 1984, has grown into a leading contemporary art centre. ACCA has since presented hundreds of exhibitions from Australian and international contemporary artists and is focused on commissioning new work to encourage progressive conversations. The center itself is one of Melbourne’s most striking buildings, featuring a rusted steel façade in a geometric design.
111 Sturt Street Southbank VIC, Australia +61 3 9697 9999
AC_0266: Painting. More Painting 2016. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 2016 | Photo © Andrew Curtis Courtesy of ACCA
