Description of the attraction
Opened in 1897, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is located in Sydney's Domain Park. Today it is Sydney's largest public gallery and the fourth largest in Australia. Entry to the exhibition halls, which showcase the art of Australia, Europe and Asia, is free of charge.
In 1871, a public meeting was held in Sydney, which decided to establish the Academy of Arts "to promote the fine arts through lectures, workshops and regular exhibitions." Until 1879, the main direction of the Academy's work was the organization of annual art exhibitions, and in 1880 the Academy was disbanded, as the public Gallery, which was called the Art Gallery of New South Wales, took over the tasks. Unfortunately, in 1882 most of the gallery's collections were destroyed in a fire, and over the next 13 years the question of the need to build a permanent building for the gallery was decided.
The building designed by the architect Vernon was built in 1897 in the classicism style. In the same year, the first two exhibition halls were opened, two more were opened two years later. The Watercolors Gallery was built in 1901 and the Great Oval Hall was completed in 1902. In 1970, the Captain Cook Wing was added to the building, and in 2003 a wing was opened, which exhibits works of Asian artists. Outside the building are bronze sculptures, symbolizing the contribution to the art of four great civilizations - Roman, Greek, Assyrian and Egyptian.
Today, the Art Gallery exhibits the work of many Australian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. 44 works are included in the list of "100 Masterpieces of Australian Painting". Among the works of European masters are paintings by Rubens, Canaletto, Picasso, Rodin, Monet, Cezanne and other famous masters, from the 16th century to our days.
