What is the Art Gallery of New South Wales?
The Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of Australia's leading art museums, located in the Domain parkland in Sydney. Founded in 1871, it holds Australian, Asian and European art.
The gallery's sandstone main building, with its classical columns, opened in stages from the late 1800s. It displays colonial and modern Australian art, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, and major works from Asia and Europe.
In December 2022 the gallery opened a second building known as Sydney Modern, designed by Japanese architects SANAA. The new building, named Naala Badu, sits beside the original, Naala Nura, linked by an outdoor art garden.
The Archibald Prize
The gallery hosts the Archibald Prize, Australia's best-known portrait prize, first awarded in 1921. Each year the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes draw large crowds and much public debate.
General entry to the gallery is free. Underneath the new building, a former Second World War naval oil tank has been turned into a dramatic exhibition space called The Tank.
Did You Know?
The Archibald Prize was established by a bequest from J. F. Archibald, a founder of The Bulletin magazine.