National Gallery Of Australia – Canberra

Located in the countries capital city Canberra, The National Gallery of Australia is one the countries largest art galleries housing over 160,000 works of art.   The gallery opened in 1982 after a 14 year planning and construction period. The building itself is a Brutalist design, lots of concrete bare walls and angular masses, surrounded by many sculpture gardens that house native plants and trees.

The artwork on display is spread out over 5 rooms, they are all displayed to the highest quality and the framework on display range from antique to modern to really showcase these glorious works of art.

The rooms displaying the artwork are as follows:

  • Australian Art
  • Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art
  • European & American Art
  • Asian Arts
  • Pacific Arts

There is also extensive sculpture displayed both inside and outside in the grounds.

Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Australia
Image credit: https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/art/australian-centre-for-contemporary-art-acca

Australian Centre For Contemporary Art – Melbourne

The Australian Centre of Contemporary Art was established in 1983 and in 2002 moved to the heart of the Melbourne Arts Precinct.   The building was designed by Wood Marsh Architects, the buildings unique and bold design has really helped establish the gallery as one of the leading centres for contemporary art in Australia.

The gallery is very unique in that it is neighboured by a local theatre called the malthouse theatre and it shares an outside courtyard which is used as a performance area.  The gallery itself has 4 large exhibition rooms as well as two large rehearsal studios which are used by local dance companies.

Whilst there are no permanent works on display the gallery hosts many exhibitions from Australian and European artists throughout the year below are a few names that have exhibited here:

  • Pat Brassington
  • Martin Creed
  • Jenny Holzer
  • Patricia Piccinini
  • Tacita Dean
  • Joseph Kosuth
  • Barbara Kruger

Art Gallery Of New South Wales – Sydney

The Art Gallery of New South Wales first opened its doors to the public in 1874.  Located in Sydney the gallery is one of the most oldest and important galleries in Sydney as well as being one of the largest in Australia.

Along with the artwork on display the gallery runs several exhibitions as well as educational programs for schools, conservation programmes to safeguard artwork, guided tours of the gallery and artwork and public talks about what is on display.

There are many different types of works on display in the following categories, Australian Art, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art, European & American Art, Asian Arts and Pacific Arts.  There are many ways that these are displayed and some beautiful frames are on display showcasing the art work within these collections.

Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Art_Gallery_of_New_South_Wales_at_night.jpg
Image credit: https://www.sartle.com/place/art-gallery-of-south-australia

Art Gallery Of South Australia – Adelaide

The most significant visual arts museum in South Australia, The Art Gallery of South Australia was established in 1881 and has a collection of over 45,00 works of art.

The gallery not only has a permanent collection but yearly it is home to the Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art known as Tarnanthi, as well as hosting many various exhibitions.

There are two main collections on display permanently here that fall into two categories, Australian art and European art and there really is some wonderful frames housing these including some wonderful carved framework as well as modern takes on framing.

The Queensland Art Gallery And Gallery Of Modern Art – Queensland

The Queensland Art Gallery was originally established in 1895 and was housed in many temporary buildings without a permanent place to call home.  In 1982 the gallery moved to the Queensland Cultural Centre and in 2006 The Gallery Of Modern Art was established and open forming a merge of the two galleries and in 2015 it was listed as a state heritage place.

The gallery doesn’t have a huge permanent collection of art it only has a few main pieces on display including La Belle Hollandaise by Pablo Picasso and Under the Jacaranda by Richard Godfrey Rivers.

The gallery hosts many exhibitions and also has an Art for Children programme, it has its own Children’s Art Centre where it presents innovative museum-based learning programs for children.

Image credit: http://australianhumanitiesreview.org/2008/03/01/the-south-in-southern-theory-antipodean-reflections-on-the-pacific/
Image credit: https://tasmanianartsguide.com.au/places-to-go/major-museums/mona-museum-old-new-art/

Museum Of New And Old Art – Hobart

The largest privately funded museum and gallery in Australia, The Museum Of Old And New Art or MONA for short is located within the beautiful Moorilla winery is Hobart Tasmania.

This is a very new gallery only opening its door in 2011. Founded by David Walsh you will see on display here pieces from ancient, modern and contemporary art a total of over 1,900 beautiful art works from David’s private collection all displayed in some stunning framework.

As well as being a stunning gallery in a beautiful surrounding MONA also is host to the annual MONA FOMA music festival in the summer months.   This is a large public art exhibition but also brings an element of fun in the mix running alongside a fairground, food and drink and live music entertainment.  A place where young and old can come and enjoy.

Art Gallery Of Western Australia – Perth

Part of the Perth Cultural Centre in Western Australia, the Art Gallery Of Western Australia is a public state gallery.  It is located between the Western Australian Museum and State Library of Western Australia.

Although not a particularly large gallery it is well worth a visit to see the exhibitions they have on offer and the stunning roof terrace that is home to various sculptures.

The gallery has several ongoing exhibitions on display including indigenous traditional and contemporary art from the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and Western Australian art from the 1820s to 1960s.

Image credit: https://helloperth.com.au/directories/wa-art-gallery/