Art Gallery of New South Wales, State art institution in The Domain, Sydney, Australia
The Art Gallery of New South Wales is a state art museum in The Domain in central Sydney. Two buildings are linked by a public art garden, displaying works from Australian, European and Asian artists.
The gallery grew from the New South Wales Academy of Art, co-founded in 1872 by Eliezer Levi Montefiore; its first public exhibition opened in 1874. After the Garden Palace fire of 1882, government architect Walter Liberty Vernon designed the permanent building, whose first picture galleries opened in 1897 and 1899. The 32 names carved below the entablature were chosen by trustee president Frederick Eccleston Du Faur and honour painters, sculptors and architects unconnected with works then in the collection.
The Yiribana Gallery presents a substantial collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, representing diverse Indigenous communities across Australia. Visitors can see works that connect traditional and contemporary forms of expression, offering insight into the artistic practices of these cultures.
The gallery stands in The Domain at the eastern edge of central Sydney, and general admission is free. The entrance is up a wide flight of steps behind the six Ionic columns of the portico; the equestrian statues The Offerings of Peace and The Offerings of War by Gilbert Bayes face the facade.
The 32 names carved below the entablature were chosen by trustees' president Frederick Eccleston Du Faur and honour painters, sculptors and architects with no connection to works in the collection. Later calls to replace them with Australian artists failed because the trustees could not agree on alternatives.
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