The Art Gallery of NSW has a very active and wide-reaching outward loans program, making our collection accessible to a large and diverse audience both nationally and internationally.

We aim to agree to as many loan requests as we can service with our available staff resources.

The Gallery lends to accredited national and international cultural institutions for exhibition and display purposes.

We also manage a separate furnishing loan program, under which selections of suitable works are made available to NSW Parliament House and ministerial offices. The furnishing loan period is for two years and can be renewed. The loan also incurs a small fee to cover conservation costs.

Loans are not made to private individuals.

Prospective borrowers should submit a formal letter of request to the director of the Art Gallery of NSW addressing:

• purpose of the loan
• loan period dates, including touring venue details
• details of requested works such as artist, title, medium and accession number – available through our online collection search

If the Gallery has not previously lent to the borrower, a current copy of a standard facility report should be included.

Borrowers must agree to cover all costs associated with the loan, including but not limited to: packing, transport, customs arrangements, courier costs, conservation costs (for loans at short-term notice) and insurance. All loans must be fully indemnified against all risks.

Loan requests will be acknowledged in writing within 14 days of their receipt, with the Gallery indicating which works have tentative curatorial approval.

The loan request is then subject to conservation approval and ratification by the Gallery’s Board of Trustees. This process may take up to three months.

If the loan is approved, the borrower will receive a formal outward loan agreement and detailed loan conditions from the Registration Department, who will administer the loan.

Prospective borrowers are encouraged to make informal contact with the Gallery to discuss proposed loans.