Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Art museum in Circular Quay, Australia.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is housed in an Art Deco structure at Circular Quay, overlooking Sydney Harbour and the Opera House. Inside, the building contains multiple gallery spaces displaying contemporary artworks across different media and styles.
The museum opened in 1991 in the former Maritime Services Board building at Circular Quay, but its roots lie in the 1943 will of expatriate Australian artist JW Power, who left money and works to the University of Sydney. That bequest formed the travelling Power Gallery of Contemporary Art until the MSB building became available. A 2010–2012 expansion by architect Sam Marshall added the Mordant Wing, and the museum reopened as the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
The museum displays rotating exhibitions featuring works by Australian and international artists responding to contemporary issues and conversations. These collections offer visitors a window into how artists address and reflect on current events and society.
The building features wheelchair access and other accessible facilities for visitors with different needs. You can visit Thursday through Tuesday from 10:00 to 17:00, with extended hours until 21:00 on Wednesdays.
The entrance doors are topped by a sandstone frieze carved with sailors and dockworkers, a reminder of the building's past as the Maritime Services Board. Higher on the clock tower, a pink granite panel shows a propeller, a ship's wheel and an anchor. The bronze plaque above the doorway reads "Museum of Contemporary Art".
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