National Gallery of Australia

Site and building

Positioned northeast of Parliament House and close to the High Court and the National Library, the gallery occupies a purpose-built complex set in landscaped grounds with a sculpture garden. Construction of the current building began in the early 1970s and continued through the following decade. The gallery opened to the public in 1982; its creation followed an act of government in the 1960s that established the institution as a national cultural body. The building’s layout is organised over several levels that separate large display halls, smaller exhibition rooms and workspaces for conservation and research.

Collections and galleries

The permanent collection exceeds 120,000 works and is arranged by geography and theme across the museum’s floors. Large, flexible galleries display Indigenous Australian art alongside major Australian and international loans. A lower level houses much of the Asian art collection, while smaller rooms on the upper floors present focused displays of Australian painting and decorative arts. The gallery also runs a dedicated space for temporary exhibitions and changing displays that allow for contemporary commissions and touring shows.

One of the gallery’s best-known holdings is a major memorial installation of painted tree trunks that commemorates Indigenous Australians who died resisting colonisation. This work is exhibited as part of the Indigenous collections, which include bark paintings, carved poles, contemporary canvases and works that reflect living traditions and modern expressions. The non-Indigenous Australian collection spans 19th- and 20th-century masters and twentieth-century modernists, while the international holdings emphasise late 19th-century and 20th-century movements.

Highlights and notable artists

• Australian painters and modernists represented by the gallery include leading names from the colonial and modern eras.
• The international collection contains works by major figures of modern art and postwar movements, illustrating trends such as Impressionism, Cubism, Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art.
• The sculpture garden displays large-scale works and outdoor commissions, offering visitors an encounter with three-dimensional works in a landscaped setting.

Well-known artists whose work appears in the collection include a range of Australian and overseas painters and sculptors spanning several generations. The sculpture garden includes pieces by internationally recognised sculptors alongside Australian makers. The gallery’s displays and acquisitions reflect a balance between historical survey and contemporary practice, and the institution has undertaken periodic expansion projects to create new spaces for Indigenous art and temporary exhibitions.

History, development and role

The gallery was formally established by the Australian government in 1967 and developed over the next decades as the national collection grew. The funded construction in the 1970s and early 1980s provided a dedicated home for an expanding national collection; the building was officially opened in 1982. Major redevelopment and extension projects in the 21st century have sought to improve storage, conservation and display capacity, with particular attention to properly presenting Indigenous cultural materials and contemporary work. As a public institution the gallery supports research, loans to other museums, education programs and public engagement initiatives.

Visiting and further information

Visitors to the National Gallery of Australia can explore permanent displays, special exhibitions and the outdoor sculpture trail, attend public programs, and consult research resources. The gallery’s role as a national museum makes it a central place for the presentation, study and enjoyment of art in Australia.

Reference and links

1. National Gallery overview
2. Canberra precinct
3. Founding legislation and government
4. Construction history
5. Project costs and funding
6. Opening and ceremonial events
7. Nearby institutions: High Court
8. Nearby institutions: National Library
9. Indigenous Australian art collection
10. Temporary exhibitions space
11. Sculpture garden details
12. Memorial installations
13. Painted tree trunk memorial
14. Indigenous history themes
15. Cultural objects and funerary forms
16. Yolngu cultural practices
17. Ritual and belief contexts
18. Frederick McCubbin and Australian art
19. Tom Roberts and colonial painting
20. William Dobell and portraiture
21. Sidney Nolan and landscape themes
22. Paul Cézanne and Post-Impressionism
23. Claude Monet and Impressionism
24. Pablo Picasso and Cubism
25. Jackson Pollock and Abstract Expressionism
26. Andy Warhol and Pop Art
27. Roy Lichtenstein and graphic modernism
28. David Hockney and contemporary painting
29. Lucian Freud and figurative work
30. Henri Matisse and modern colour
31. Henry Moore in the sculpture garden
32. Auguste Rodin and classical sculpture