National Gallery of Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Gallery of Australia

Image taken from the south-west
Former name	Australian National Gallery
Established	1967; 58 years ago (1967)
Location	Parkes, Canberra, Australia
Type	Art gallery
Architect	Colin Madigan
Owner	Australian Government
Public transit access	ACTION buses (R2 & R6)

The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) is Australia's national art museum. It is one of the largest art museums in Australia. The NGA holds more than 166,000 artworks. It is located in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The Australian Government created it in 1967. As of 2022, Nick Mitzevich is its director.

How the Gallery Started

A famous Australian artist named Tom Roberts really wanted a national art gallery. He talked to many Australian prime ministers about his idea. In 1910, Prime Minister Andrew Fisher agreed. The next year, a special committee was set up. This committee decided that the government should collect portraits of important Australian leaders. These portraits would be painted by Australian artists.

This led to the creation of the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board. This board was in charge of buying art until 1973. Before the Gallery opened, many of these paintings were shown in Parliament House. They were also displayed in government offices and other art galleries.

From 1912, building a permanent home for the art collection was a big goal. But there were two World Wars and a Great Depression. Governments had other important things to build first. These included Canberra's early buildings and Old Parliament House. In the 1950s and 60s, Canberra grew quickly. New government offices, Lake Burley Griffin, and the National Library of Australia were built.

Finally, in 1965, the Art Advisory Board convinced Prime Minister Robert Menzies to start the gallery. On 1 November 1967, Prime Minister Harold Holt officially announced that the building would be constructed.

Finding the Right Spot

Designing the building was tricky because its exact location was hard to decide. This was due to the layout of the Parliamentary Triangle. The main problem was where the new Parliament House would be built.

In Canberra's first plan from 1912, Parliament House was meant for Camp Hill. A "Capitol" building was planned for Capital Hill. This Capitol would hold archives and celebrate Australian achievements. In the early 1960s, a new plan suggested moving Parliament House to the shore of Lake Burley Griffin. The Gallery would then be built on Capital Hill with other national buildings.

In 1968, Colin Madigan won the design competition for the gallery. But the final location was still uncertain. Prime Minister John Gorton said the competition was to find a great architect, not a final design. In 1971, the government chose a new site for the Gallery. It was a large area on the eastern side of a planned "National Place." Madigan's job included designing the Gallery, the High Court of Australia building, and the area around them.

Designing the Building

Madigan's final design was based on ideas from the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC). Experts like James Johnson Sweeney and James Mollison also gave their advice. Sweeney was a museum director who advised on how to display and store art.

Mollison later said the building's size and shape were decided by Madigan, Sweeney, and the NCDC. He couldn't change how the inside or outside looked. Construction began in 1973. Prime Minister Gough Whitlam unveiled a special plaque. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the building in 1982. The building cost $82 million.

In 1975, the NCDC stopped the plan for the "National Place." This left the gallery precinct five meters above the ground. It didn't have the planned connections to other buildings.

Choosing a Director

The Commonwealth Art Advisory Board suggested Laurie Thomas as the first director. But Prime Minister John Gorton didn't act on this. He seemed to prefer James Johnson Sweeney, even though Sweeney was 70.

James Mollison was an exhibitions officer for the Prime Minister's Department. Because no director was appointed, Mollison became involved in the building's design. In 1971, Prime Minister William McMahon named Mollison as the acting director. Construction tenders were called in November 1972.

The Gallery Building and Gardens

The National Gallery building in 2004, before major changes.

The National Gallery building is in a style called Brutalist. This style uses strong, angular shapes and raw concrete. The building is surrounded by sculpture gardens. These gardens are filled with Australian native plants and trees.

The building's design is based on triangles. You can see this in the ceiling patterns and tiles. The architect, Colin Madigan, wanted the design to feel free. He wanted it to be able to change but still show its purpose. This triangle shape is found throughout the building. It appears in the stair towers, columns, and other parts.

The building is mostly made of reinforced concrete. This concrete was originally the inside wall surface too. More recently, the interior walls have been covered with painted wood. This makes it easier to change how artworks are displayed.

The building has 23,000 square meters of floor space. This space is used for displaying and storing art. It also houses the staff who work at the Gallery. Madigan's design follows Sweeney's idea of a spiral plan. This means a series of galleries that can show different sized artworks.

There are three levels of galleries. The main floor has large galleries. These show the Indigenous Australian and International (European and American) collections. The bottom level also has big galleries. These were meant for sculptures but now show Asian art. The top level has smaller, more private galleries. These now display the Gallery's Australian art collection. Sweeney suggested that natural light should not distract from the art. So, the light sources are indirect.

The High Court and National Gallery area were added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.

The lobby of the National Gallery of Australia in 2005, before the big extension in 2010.

Later Changes and Additions

The Gallery has been made bigger twice. The first time was in 1997. New galleries were built on the eastern side for large temporary exhibitions. This extension also includes a sculpture garden designed by Fiona Hall. In 2006, a new entrance was added. A large Australian Garden, designed by Adrian McGregor, was also created.

There were ideas to build a new "front" entrance facing King Edward Terrace. Colin Madigan, the original architect, was worried about these changes. He felt they would interfere with his original design.

In 2006, the Australian Government gave $92.9 million for a big improvement project. This included new entrance facilities to make it easier for people to visit. It also greatly increased the space for displaying art, especially for the collection of Australian Indigenous art. The first part of the Indigenous galleries and new entrance opened on 30 September 2010. Quentin Bryce, the Governor-General of Australia, officially opened it.

Sculpture Garden Updates

A project to update the sculpture garden began in 2021. As part of this, the gallery asked Lindy Lee to create a huge sculpture. It will be 4 meters high and based on the ouroboros (a symbol of a snake eating its tail). This sculpture will be placed near the main entrance. It is planned to be finished in 2024. This is the most expensive artwork the NGA has ever asked an artist to create.

Gallery Directors

In 1976, the new ANG Council looked for a permanent director. James Mollison had been acting director since 1971. Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser announced Mollison as the director in 1977.

James Mollison

James Mollison is famous for starting the Gallery and building its collection. He bought important modern Western art. Two well-known purchases in 1974 were Blue Poles by Jackson Pollock and Woman V by Willem de Kooning. These purchases were very debated at the time. But now, they are seen as very smart choices.

He also built up other collections, often with gifts. In 1975, Arthur Boyd gave thousands of his artworks to the Gallery. In 1977, Mollison convinced Sunday Reed to donate Sidney Nolan's amazing Ned Kelly series. In 1981, Albert Tucker and his wife gave a large collection of Tucker's art. Because of these gifts, the Gallery has the best collection of Australian art.

Mollison also arranged many touring exhibitions. The most famous was The Great Impressionist Exhibition in 1984.

Betty Churcher

Betty Churcher became director in 1990. She was known for loving "blockbuster" exhibitions. These are very popular shows that attract many visitors.

Churcher started the building of new galleries on the eastern side. These opened in 1998 for large temporary exhibitions. During her time, the Gallery's name changed from the Australian National Gallery to its current name.

The Gallery bought many artworks during her time. One important purchase was Golden Summer, Eaglemont by Arthur Streeton for $3.5 million. This was a very important Australian painting still owned by a private person.

Brian Kennedy

Brian Kennedy became director in 1997. He increased the number of traveling exhibitions and loans of art around Australia. He also arranged for several major shows of Australian art to be shown overseas. He increased the number of exhibitions at the museum itself. He also helped develop a large website with lots of information. However, he stopped focusing on "blockbuster" exhibitions.

During his time, the National Gallery of Australia got government support to improve the building. It also received important private donations and company sponsorships. Private money helped buy famous artworks. These included David Hockney's A Bigger Grand Canyon for $4.6 million in 1999. Also, Lucian Freud's After Cézanne for $7.4 million in 2001. And Pregnant Woman by Ron Mueck for $800,000.

He also made admission to the gallery free, except for major exhibitions.

Ron Radford

Ron Radford became director in late 2004. He had been the director of the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Radford has lent out the Gallery's collection of old master paintings (European art from before the 19th century). He sent them for long-term display to state galleries. He felt that the collection of less than 30 paintings was too small to make a big impact. He said the gallery should focus on its strengths. These include European art from the first half of the 20th century. Also, 20th-century American art, photography, Asian art, and 20th-century drawings. He also wanted to fill gaps in the Australian collection.

Radford has been important in getting money and finishing the new entrance to the Gallery. He also oversaw an extension for Indigenous galleries. He has also been known for buying many Indigenous artworks. This includes the largest collection of watercolours by Albert Namatjira. He also acquired the James Turrell sculpture Within without (2010).

Gerard Vaughan

In October 2014, Gerard Vaughan became the new director. He had been the director of the National Gallery of Victoria from 1999 to 2012.

In 2014, the gallery took legal action against an art dealer named Subhash Kapoor. This was because an 11th-century sculpture of Shiva Nataraja was bought by the gallery for A$5.6 million in 2008. It was believed to have been stolen from an Indian temple. The National Gallery removed the statue from display. The Indian government formally asked for the statue to be returned.

Nick Mitzevich

In April 2018, it was announced that Nick Mitzevich would become the director. He started in July.

Exhibitions and Programs

Women Hold Up Half The Sky

Women Hold Up Half The Sky was a big exhibition held in March to April 1995. It celebrated International Women's Day. The exhibition was named after a famous print by artist Ann Newmarch. It showed about 300 works from the gallery's own collection. These included art by Agnes Goodsir, Clarice Beckett, Grace Cossington Smith, Margaret Preston, and many other women artists.

The Painters of the Wagilag Sisters story 1937-1997

This exhibition in 1997 showed the work of over 100 Aboriginal artists. These artists were Yolngu painters from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The artworks were all about the story of the Wagilag sisters. These are important ancestral beings in Arnhem Land culture.

National Indigenous Art Triennial

The NGA holds the National Indigenous Art Triennial (NIAT). This is a big exhibition of Indigenous art that happens every three years.

• The first one, Culture Warriors, was from October 2007 to February 2008. It showed works by selected artists from the previous three years.
• The second, unDISCLOSED, ran from May to July 2012. It featured 20 Indigenous artists. The theme was about what is spoken and unspoken.
• The third, Defying Empire, was held from May to September 2017. Its title honored the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum. This referendum recognized Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australians.
• The fourth Triennial, Ceremony, took place from March to July 2022. It explored the idea of ceremony.

Balnaves Contemporary Series

In 2018, the Balnaves Contemporary Intervention Series began. It was later renamed the Balnaves Contemporary Series. This program asks artists to create new artworks. Artists who have been part of this project include Patricia Piccinini (with Skywhales), Judy Watson, and Daniel Crooks.

Know My Name

Know My Name exhibition, 2020

Know My Name is a project by the National Gallery of Australia. It celebrates the important work of Australian women artists. It started in 2019 after the gallery found that only 25 percent of its collection was made by women. The project includes exhibitions, events, and publications. It highlights the talent of women artists. The NGA also set new rules to make sure there is gender parity (equal representation) in the organization and its programs.

The exhibition Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now: Part One was held from November 2020 to May 2021. It showed art by women from the NGA's collection and other places. Artists included Margaret Olley, Tracey Moffatt, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, and many others. A book called Know My Name was published with the exhibition.

Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now: Part Two opened in June 2021 and finished in June 2022. These two exhibitions don't cover everything. Instead, they look at times when women created new art forms. They also highlight connections between artists over time.

Other Exhibitions

NGA Youth Council

The National Gallery Youth Council is a group of young, creative people. They are chosen from all over Australia. They speak for young people at the gallery. The group is aged between 15 and 25. They meet online every month. They work with staff and artists to create programs for young people.

Art Collection

Ramingining Artists: The Aboriginal Memorial

As of 2012, the National Gallery of Australia's collection had over 166,000 artworks. It includes:

• Australian art
  • Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art (mostly modern, but in traditional styles)
  • Art in the European Tradition (from when Europeans settled in Australia until now)
• Western art (from the Middle Ages to modern times, mostly modern)
• Eastern art (from South and East Asia, mostly traditional)
• Modern Art (from around the world)
• Pacific Arts (from Melanesia and Polynesia, mostly traditional)
• Photography (from around the world and Australia)
• Crafts (from dishes to dresses, from around the world)
• Sculpture garden (from Auguste Rodin to modern works)

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art

Tommy McRae, Melbourne tribe holding corroboree after seeing ships for the first time

A very important part of this collection is the Aboriginal Memorial. It has 200 painted tree trunks. These remember all the Indigenous people who died defending their land between 1788 and 1988. Each tree trunk is a dupun, or log coffin. It helps mark the journey of a person's soul from this world to the next. Artists from Ramingining painted it for the Australian Bicentenary in 1988.

Australian Art (Non-Indigenous)

Frederick McCubbin, Bush Idyll, 1893

This collection includes works by:

• John Glover – Mount Wellington and Hobart Town from Kangaroo Point
• Frederick McCubbin – Afterglow, Bush Idyll
• Tom Roberts – Going Home, Storm Clouds, In a corner on the Macintyre
• Arthur Streeton – Golden Summer, Spirit of the Drought
• Charles Conder – Bronte Beach, Under a Southern Sun
• Margaret Preston – Flying over the Shoalhaven River, Flapper
• Grace Cossington Smith – Interior in Yellow
• Sidney Nolan – Ned Kelly series (many paintings), The Burning Tree
• Arthur Boyd – The Mining Town, Boat Builders, Eden
• Ron Mueck – Pregnant Woman
• Patricia Piccinini – The Skywhale

Western Art

Claude Monet, Nymphéas (Waterlilies), 1914

The Gallery's international collection mostly focuses on art from the late 1800s and 1900s. It has a strong collection of modern works. It includes art by:

• Paul Cézanne – L'Après-midi à Naples (Afternoon in Naples)
• Claude Monet – Haystacks, Midday and Water Lilies
• Jackson Pollock – Blue Poles
• Willem de Kooning – Woman V
• Andy Warhol – Elvis, Electric Chair
• David Hockney – A Bigger Grand Canyon
• Lucian Freud – After Cézanne
• Henri Matisse - Oceania, the Sea, Oceania, the Sky
• Constantin Brâncuși - Bird in Space

The Gallery has a small collection of older European paintings. These are on long-term loan to other galleries.

Eastern Art

This collection includes a Tang Standing Horse figure. This is a special tomb figure from the Tang dynasty in China.

Sculpture Garden

Henry Moore's Hill Arches in the Sculpture Garden

The sculpture garden has artworks by:

• Bert Flugelman – Cones
• Antony Gormley - Angel of the North (life-size model)
• Fujiko Nakaya – Fog sculpture. This only works between noon and 2pm.
• Henry Moore – Hill Arches
• Auguste Rodin – The Burghers of Calais (one of 12 sets)

See also

In Spanish: Galería Nacional de Australia para niños

• Art of Australia
• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• Art Gallery of South Australia
• List of national galleries
• List of sculpture parks
• National Gallery of Australia Research Library
• National Gallery of Victoria
• National Portrait Gallery