Past exhibitions 2018

Discover the Sydney artist at the heart of impressionism, who was a close friend of Van Gogh and Rodin, dined with Monet and taught Matisse.

Fantasy, dark humour and a strong sense of theatre characterise this display of works from the Gallery’s collection.

Presents new work by Australian artists that find a connection between drawing and the moving image.

A display of the Gallery’s major new acquisitions from this much-admired Australian modernist painter and potter.

Become a ‘space explorer’ and experience some of the most immersive and expansive artworks in the Gallery’s collection.

Rarely seen paintings and works on paper from his formative years chart Brett Whiteley’s journey to figuration through abstraction.

Begun in 1999, this scholarship for young Australian painters is now in its 20th year. Its inspiration was the profound effect international travel and study had on the artist Brett Whiteley.

Journey deep inside a Tudor painting to explore the hidden life of a king’s portrait, and the workshop of the artists who created it.

The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes is an annual exhibition eagerly anticipated by artists and audiences alike.

A display of contemporary abstract paintings from the Gallery’s collection, focusing on unconventional and experimental approaches to the age-old discipline of painting.

Drawn from the Gallery’s collection, this exhibition examines the way a camera turns any subject into a performer and any scenario into a theatrical act.

Inspired by The lady and the unicorn tapestry series, an Australian artist in Paris created unique tapestry works featuring Australian animals in European landscapes.

A rare opportunity to experience the beauty, scale and intricacy of a masterpiece of medieval French art that has captivated viewers across the centuries.

The latest edition of this much-anticipated major contemporary art event examines the quantum mechanical theory of superposition by investigating how it might operate in the world today.

The rock forms, female figures and animals in this monumental work from the 1970s have been crocheted from natural and synthetic fibres.

This dynamic and popular exhibition features a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the HSC examination in Visual Arts 2017.

From Bondi to Byron Bay, the beach was an ideal location for Brett Whiteley to stage his extraordinary figures interacting with each other, the sand and sea.

A comprehensive survey that celebrates one of the most renowned photographers of the 20th century, an artist who understood the medium’s ability to alter perceptions and push boundaries.

Immerse yourself in outstanding works of art by the greatest Dutch painters of the 17th century, including Rembrandt and Vermeer.

Recalling a wondrous ‘cabinet of curiosities’, this display explores a fascinating intersection of art, science and nature in the work of Rembrandt and other Dutch masters.

Reveals the defiant energy and strange vitality of contemporary figurative painting, with subjects including sex, food, family life, combat and the self.

Presents works by Australian and New Zealand contemporary artists who engage with a diverse range of materials in surprising and transformative ways.

Drawn from the Gallery’s collection, this exhibition showcases the work of one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists and traces her interest in the body as a fluid and flexible form.

New and recent work from one of Australia’s most inventive artists, including an elaborate suspended sculpture and spectacular levitating balloon work.

A celebration of the work of two artists from the Torres Strait Islands, showcasing the unique form of printmaking that is now synonymous with the region.

Installations, videos, sculptures and paintings celebrating the diverse and vibrant contemporary art of the Philippines.