Sydney Modern Project Update: November 2018

I’m pleased to share with you the exciting news that the NSW Government has approved the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ State Significant Development Application for the Sydney Modern Project, paving the way for construction of the Gallery’s new building to commence in early 2019.

Planning consent for the project is a green light for art, artists and audiences here in Australia and around the world. Bringing together art, architecture and landscape in stunning new ways, our transformed public gallery will represent Sydney’s bold spirit as a leading 21st-century art museum with a deep commitment to both Australian and international art.

On our website, you can read the Gallery’s media release and watch a flythrough video (below) that brings to life some features of the new building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects, SANAA.

In more good news, the Art Gallery of NSW has become the first public art museum in the country to achieve the highest environmental standard with a Green Building Council of Australia 6-star Green Star design rating, exceeding our original 5-star goal. This is a testament to SANAA’s high-quality design and the Gallery’s commitment to sustainability.

The Sydney Modern Project is one of the largest public-private partnerships in the arts in Australia. The NSW Government has funded $244 million and the Gallery is very close to reaching its target of raising $100 million in philanthropic support. This is an extraordinary public endorsement for the project from our generous donors and demonstrates the importance of the expansion to the Gallery’s future, Sydney and NSW.

I’m looking forward to sharing with you the first of the planned art commissions for our expanded Gallery. Dynamic spaces will allow us to think differently about art and who we are. We can tell stories on an even more ambitious scale, show more of our outstanding collection, which belongs to all of us, and attract the best exhibitions from around the world. Our audiences will be further inspired to engage with art and ideas in new ways and join important conversations sparked by artists.

Today’s planning approval is the culmination of an extended program of community consultation. Working closely with SANAA since 2015, the sensitive and innovative design has evolved in a positive way as a result of feedback. It’s been heartening to see so many people engaged with the expansion and excited about the enormous benefits it will deliver to Sydney and NSW. The project is expected to be completed in 2021 for our 150th anniversary and the Gallery is now planning for our next major milestones in 2019.

In the meantime, we are delighted to be delivering a must-see summer program headlined by our Sydney International Art Series exhibition, Masters of modern art from the Hermitage, which presents a magnificent selection of 65 key works from the towering figures of modern art including Monet, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Gauguin and their Russian contemporaries, Kandinsky and Malevich.

I look forward to seeing you in the Gallery soon.

Best wishes

Michael Brand
Gallery Director