Overview
The Art Gallery of New South Wales has reopened its 20th-century gallery with revitalised displays and a commitment to championing works by female artists, Aboriginal artists and works hailing from Asia and the Pacific. The gallery space has been given a major refurbishment and is now open, showcasing an array of significant works from local and international artists.
Situated in the 1972 wing of AGNSW, the space has been refreshed in order to facilitate these fan-favourite artworks while revealing the gallery's original heritage architecture. The refurbishments include the reopening of the internal balconies that overlook the eight-meter-high atrium.
At the core of this new gallery is the idea that Australian artists play a significant role on the world cultural stage and should be appreciated in the context of the global artistic movements.
Installation view of the 20th - century galleries at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, featuring (left to right): Frank Stella Khurasan Gate variation II 1970, Sydney Ball Transoxiana 9 1968 and James Doolin Artificial landscape 6 1969, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Christopher Snee
"In a shift from traditional museum practice, we are showing Australian artists alongside international artists," AGNSW director Michael Brand said. "Such a display allows us to not only explore the connections between local artists and global art movements, it asserts that Australian artists have always been international artists, and that many international artists continue to work in Australia in many different ways."
Gallery highlights include a radical bark painting by Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, a seminal painting by Papunya artist Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, Martin Creed's immersive Work no. 2821 installation made of hundreds of yellow balloons and the historic moving image work The story of the Kelly Gang. Visitors will catch works from local favourites Brett Whiteley and Grace Cossington-Smith alongside international names like Francis Bacon and Pierre Bonnard.
The gallery is now open seven days a week across two levels of the Art Gallery of NSW. The ground floor displays works from the first half of the 20th century, while the second level is prominently dedicated to works from the 1960s onwards.
This newly revealed space forms part of the wider Sydney Modern Project transformation, which will open to the public on 3 December.
Martin Creed Work no 2821 2017, yellow 11-inch balloons, installation dimensions variable, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased with funds provided by the Mollie and Jim Gowing Bequest and Atelier 2017 © Martin Creed
The Art Gallery of NSW is located at Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney and is open daily 10am–5pm, with extended opening hours until 10pm on Wednesdays.
Top image: Installation view of the 20th-century galleries at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, photo ©Art Gallery of New South Wales, Christopher Snee