Michael Brand, director of the Art Gallery of NSW, announces the 2014 exhibition program:

I am delighted to announce our 2014 program – an exciting and diverse schedule of exhibitions from around the globe – America, Europe, Afghanistan, Japan, Papua New Guinea and, of course, Australia.

Our season highlights include the first major survey of American art to be shown in Australia with loans from four major American institutions. A full and engaging event program complements the exhibition including music, talks, literature, film and family activities. This exhibition is the first of what I hope to be many working with our American colleagues.

In March the Gallery hosts the 19th Biennale of Sydney: You Imagine What You Desire, in our major exhibition space, continuing our long-standing partnership with the Biennale presenting outstanding works by international contemporary artists.

Australia’s most anticipated annual art event – the Archibald Prize – moves to July. The art event that stops the nation is now 93 years old and is embraced by artists and the public alike. For 2014 we are also bringing to Sydney two rare and exceptional 17th-century royal portraits from the National Portrait Gallery, London, offering a deeper insight into the art of portraiture.

We are working with Aboriginal communities in the north-east Northern Territory and north-west New South Wales to bring two very different shows to Sydney. Yirrkala drawings features vibrant crayon drawings created in the 1940s by Yolngu community leaders, which are complemented by works recently acquired by the Gallery from contemporary artists of the region. This major exhibition will tour to Queensland and the Northern Territory. For Illuminate, the Euraba artists from New South Wales will create an immersive installation at the Gallery as part of the festival Corroboree Sydney 2013.

Over 230 stunning artefacts spanning 2200 years come to us from Afghanistan. These hidden masterpieces from the National Museum, Kabul have travelled the world to remain safe and we are indeed fortunate to have them in Sydney.

The latter half of the year sees two shows drawn from our collection. European prints and drawings 1500-1900 unveils our newly acquired Albrecht Dürer print of Melencolia I, one of the most enigmatic images in Western art. And our unique collection of masks and other ceremonial ornaments from the highlands of Papua New Guinea. These works have undergone extensive conservation and will be on display for the first time in decades.

The Art Gallery of NSW will produce eight publications in 2014 and continue to create new content for our various digital channels, providing new research and insights.

Note: Exhibition titles and dates are subject to change. For the latest information, see What’s on