Overlooking the Domain parklands and established in 1871, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) is the state's leading museum of art, as well as one of Australia's foremost cultural institutions. The gallery incorporates two expansive buildings – the original sandstone structure to the south, and the sleek new modern building to the north.
Visited by more than one million people every year, it holds significant collections of Australian, European and Asian art, and regularly hosts blockbuster exhibitions featuring famous artists. AGNSW is the home of popular exhibitions like Australia's favourite portrait prize, The Archibald Prize, and also hosts parties and festivals throughout the year, including experimental music fest Volume.
What are the Art Gallery of NSW buildings called?
In April 2024, the Art Gallery announced new names for both buildings, drawn from the local Aboriginal language. The newer North Building has been given the Aboriginal name Naala Badu, which translates to "seeing waters" in the Sydney language, and the old South Building has been given the name Naala Nura, which means "seeing Country".
The Art Gallery engaged extensively with key Aboriginal stakeholders and communities about receiving Aboriginal names for its buildings. "Naala Badu" references both the adjacent waters of Sydney Harbour and those that have always sustained communities throughout the state. Meanwhile, "Naala Nura" acknowledges both Indigenous Country in general and the golden sandstone of the Art Gallery’s original building, hewn from local Country.
What is the Sydney Modern Project?
In December 2022, AGNSW officially opened the Sydney Modern Project, the centerpiece being the expansive new North Building, which resides right next to the original South Building. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, the extension has been touted as the most significant cultural development to be established in the Harbour City since the Sydney Opera House, and was awarded Museum Opening of the Year by international art publication Apollo.
You can't fully comprehend the scale of this sleek new gallery until you descend down from the ground floor entrance, through the three limestone-clad art pavilions that gently step down towards the harbour, and wander out onto the 3,400-plus square metres of accessible roof ‘art terraces’ and courtyards. Around every corner, new spaces emerge, and reveal with them entirely new styles and arrangements of art. Four floors below ground you'll discover the coolest space in town: The Tank, a repurposed former Second World War fuel bunker, all 2,200-square-metres of which now host art installations, performances and gigs.
Rather than obstructing the sweeping views of the city, the architecture of the new building embraces the scenery. Sheer glass-panelled walls, a Wonka-esque glass elevator, and layers of escalators with glass railings all work to showcase the landscape as an artwork in its own right. Natural light plays a big role, and on a particularly sunny day the rays stream through those clear walls and the ripped cover to the entrance foyer to light up the indoor and outdoor artworks better than any specially rigged electric lights.
Plan your visit | How to get to the Art Gallery of NSW
The Gallery is open every day (except for Christmas Day and Easter Friday) from 10am to 5pm. On Wednesday nights it stays open late, and you've got until 10pm to explore. Most exhibitions are free to roam, and some blockbuster shows require a ticket.
Public transport: If you're catching the train, St James and Martin Place stations are both about ten-minutes' walk from the Gallery. Bus 441 departs from the York Street side of the Queen Victoria Building (Stand D) and drops off near the Art Gallery. There is also a drop-off and pick-up zone for cars on Art Gallery Road near the front of the Art Gallery.
Parking: You can find metered parking on Mrs Macquaries Road and other streets around the Art Gallery, and there are also several car parks nearby. The closest are the Domain Car Park and The Wharf, Woolloomooloo Car Park, both of which can be booked in advance online.
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