National Gallery of Australia announces major new acquisition: Hans Heysen’s Morning

CANBERRA.-The painting depicts two monumental gum trees before a sweeping pastoral vista. The grand old tree in the foreground is said to have been a favourite of Heysen’s. He was particularly enamoured of mornings light and was always up before dawn in order to catch the changing landscape in early sunlight, such as the effect of a cool morning depicted in Morning light. “We are indebted to Ms Robertson for the wonderful legacy of almost $3million that she has left [...]

National Gallery of Australia Unveils Monumental James Turrell ‘Skyspace’

CANBERRA.- The National Gallery of Australia today unveiled a major new acquisition for the national art collection, Within without, a monumental ‘Skyspace’ installation by renowned American artist James Turrell. The only work of its kind in Australia, the partly subterranean installation creates an immersive viewing experience that uses space, shape and light to affect the perception of the sky. Ron Radford AM, Director of the National Gallery of Australia said, “We are thrilled to open this astonishing work, Within without [...]

New Exhibition to Return Artist to Proper Place in Australian History

CANBERRA.- The first retrospective of Australia’s first major colonial trained professional artist, Robert Dowling (1827–1886), opens today at the National Gallery of Australia. “This exhibition, organised by the National Gallery of Australia, aims to place Robert Dowling in his proper place in Australian cultural history. When he first advertised himself as an artist in Launceston in 1850, he became the first locally trained Australian artist and went on to be the first to achieve success overseas. He was Australia’s most [...]

Groundbreaking Program to Boost Indigenous Australian Numbers in Arts Leadership Roles

CANBERRA.- The National Gallery of Australia today launched a 5-year initiative to boost the number of Indigenous Australians in professional roles in the visual arts. Ron Radford AM, Director of the National Gallery of Australia, said the Wesfarmers Arts Indigenous Fellowship has been established to develop the next generation of Indigenous Australian leaders in the visual arts sector. “While Indigenous Australians play a prominent role in the creation of visual art, they are not similarly represented in the management of [...]

Au revoir to Masterpieces from Paris, the Most Successful Exhibition in Australian History

CANBERRA.- The National Gallery of Australia exhibition Masterpieces from Paris, showcasing 112 Post-Impressionist works from the Musée d’Orsay, closed today with over 476,000 visitors, easily breaking the attendance record for any exhibition in Australia. After over four months on show, including an extended season in response to overwhelming demand, the exhibition closed today after staying open for 32 hours straight. Arts Minister, The Hon Peter Garrett AM, MP said, “This stunning, record-breaking exhibition gave Australians a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see [...]

250,000 and Counting! Masterpieces from Paris Breaks National Gallery of Australia Attendance Record

CANBERRA.- Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and beyond today welcomed its 250 000th visitor, breaking the National Gallery of Australia’s previous exhibition visitation record of 241,770 set by the Rubens and the Italian Renaissance exhibition in 1992. “We are thrilled to have achieved our visitation target for Masterpieces from Paris. We have seen an average of 3000 people a day experience the exhibition,” said Ron Radford AM, Director of the National Gallery. “With 6 weeks remaining until the [...]

New Permanent Galleries and Display Spaces at the National Gallery of Australia

CANBERRA.- The Hon Peter Garrett AM MP, Minister for the Arts today officially opens a suite of new permanent display spaces and galleries at the National Gallery of Australia dedicated to the display of works from the national art collection and bringing to completion the Stage One renovations and improvements to the original 1970s building. “It gives me great pleasure to open these new exhibition spaces, the culmination of a four year refurbishment program of the interior of the National [...]