Australian art

Dating from the beginnings of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in the late 1800s, the Australian collection is large, with over 19,000 items. It includes some of the greatest works in Australian art history: Tom Roberts’s The golden fleece 1894 and Bailed up 1895–1927; Arthur Streeton’s Fire’s on 1891 and The railway station, Redfern 1893, Charles Conder’s Departure of the Orient – Circular Quay 1888 and Frederick McCubbin’s On the wallaby track 1896.

It is comprehensive in its holdings of certain artists. Conrad Martens, WC Piguenit, Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and George Lambert are well represented. for example. And from the 20th century we have major and extensive holdings of such artists as Elioth Gruner, William Dobell, Russell Drysdale, Lloyd Rees, Margaret Preston, Grace Cossington Smith, Godfrey Miller, John Passmore, John Olsen, Fred Williams, Ian Fairweather, Robert Klippel and Jeffrey Smart, among many others.

Since 2000 the Art Gallery has, with the support of the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales and the Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation, built up a truly significant collection of works by Sidney Nolan.

Managed by the Art Gallery’s Australian Art Department, the Australian art acquisition fund and Australian Collection Benefactors are dedicated to improving this historical collection of Australian art, including the work of living artists.

Separate departments concentrate on more specific areas of Australian art. See

• Aboriginal art

• Australian prints, drawings and watercolours

• Contemporary Australian art

• Photography