The Art Gallery of New South Wales is a five floor exhibition space with a huge permanent collection of Australian and international art. Regular special exhibitions feature local and international works. This is a quality institution and one of the best things to see in Sydney. The gallery houses one of Australia’s foremost collections of Indigenous art and the Asian collection is impressive too.
The gallery is a great place to get a sense of how British colonial artists interpreted Australia's unique landscape in the 1800s. The last 50 years has seen a welcome shift to a more extensive coverage of Indigenous and regional art.

Photo: Mark Bowyer Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Admission to the permanent exhibition is free. There are usually admission fees on special exhibitions.
There's a great cafe with views over Woolloomooloo Bay.
In 2022, the new Sydney Modern gallery will open next door. This will be a major development for the arts in Sydney.
Art Gallery of New South Wales opened in these premises in 1897. Prolific colonial architect Walter Liberty Vernon was the architect. Vernon's other major classical work is the NSW State Library - also home to an interesting collection of art.
For our other gallery tips, head check out our listing here.
Disclosure
Rusty Compass listings are always independent. We list the places we think you should know about. That's it. We will always disclose any commercial arrangements.
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