The Art Gallery of NSW
The art gallery of nsw is an incredible place that has everything you need to spark your creative side. It is a five-story art museum that features many different pieces.
The museum is also home to the Look magazine, which is a highly valued benefit for Inspire and Champion members.
It’s a must-see
Art lovers will find plenty to admire at Sydney’s prestigious art gallery. From Picasso paintings to Tang dynasty ceramics, this five-story museum building is brimming with incredible works of beauty.
The museum is a must-see for locals and tourists alike, and features a diverse range of exhibits from all over the world. The collection includes traditional Aboriginal heritage artworks, as well as modern and contemporary Australian art. The gallery also hosts a number of events, including talks by famous artists.
Its new Sydney Modern building, designed by SANAA, has doubled its exhibition space. However, the running wall metres (which is how much physical hanging space there actually is) are still modest, meaning galleries can feel cluttered and overcrowded. Still, the museum offers a great experience for its visitors, and has received good reviews from past museumgoers. It is a must-see for anyone visiting Sydney. The museum is free to enter, but tickets are required to visit special exhibitions.
It’s free
Founded in 1874, the Art Gallery of NSW has one of the finest collections of Australian and international art in the world. Maud Page, deputy director and chief curator, recommends visiting the museum’s modern and contemporary galleries and exhibitions and taking advantage of a number of free activities.
For example, children can follow their own trails (available for a number of exhibitions), while adults will be mesmerised by Howie Tsui’s massive 27-metre-long video scroll titled Retainers of Anarchy, which explores reimaginings of ancient and modern icons and idols.
There’s plenty to see and do at Sydney’s most costly new baby, from the imposing SANAA-designed expansion of the existing South Building to a series of crowd-pleasing commissions such as New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana’s huge groundloop installation that feels both ancient and futuristic. The $14m living sculpture by Wiradyuri and Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones, meanwhile, serves as a bridge between the old and new buildings, with the artist known for his work exploring the idea of connecting cultures.
It’s a must-do
Sydney’s famed Art Gallery of NSW is packed with incredible pieces that draw a million visitors each year. You can spend hours in the spacious galleries, gazing at works of beauty that span every imaginable style. The permanent collections cover all media and showcase the best of Australian (including Aboriginal), European, and Asian art. The annual Archibald Prize is a popular draw, and the museum hosts blockbuster international touring exhibitions in its massive exhibition spaces.
The museum is also constructing a new wing, called Sydney Modern, that will allow the gallery to host bigger, more ambitious shows that couldn’t be accommodated in the existing building. It will be open by 2024 and include a new Indigenous gallery and a dedicated space for major touring exhibitions. The contemporary cafe and restaurant are fine places to rest and dine, with outdoor seating and views over Woolloomooloo Bay. The deli-style cafe offers fresh fare and a great wine list.
It’s a must-stop
From the art gallery’s new entrance, visitors are given a clear sense of its mission. Brand wants the building to give a “snapshot of Australia’s cultural context.”
From here, the new museum’s three rammed-metal galleries—filled with international contemporary works—open into the space. It’s a place, he says, where he hopes school kids and international visitors can come to understand what it is about the Australian experience that makes our culture so unique and powerful.
The first room is Yiribana, a newly prominent space where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art takes center stage. It’s a welcome change from its previous, ignominious basement location in the old gallery. In the space, five twisting sculptural forms by Adrian Villar Rojas rise from a cavernous World War II-era fuel storage tank, illuminated in pulsing lights that sweep across the cavern’s surface. The work evokes a digitized future, and its placement in the gallery’s entrance sets a tone for how the museum will present its collection.