Who we are

What we do

The National Gallery of Australia opened to the public in October 1982 and is the Commonwealth of Australia’s national cultural institution for the visual arts. Since it was established in 1967, it has played a leadership role in shaping visual arts culture across Australia and its region and continues to develop exciting and innovative ways to engage people with the national art collection.

The Gallery provides exceptional experiences of Australia’s rich visual arts culture. Through the national collection, exhibitions, educational and public programs, outreach initiatives, research and publications, infrastructure and corporate services, the Gallery is a model of excellence in furthering knowledge of the visual arts. The Gallery makes art accessible, meaningful and vital to diverse audiences, locally, nationally and internationally.

Our purpose and outcome

Our staff

As Australia’s pre-eminent visual arts institution, the Gallery provides social and cultural benefits for the community and enhances Australia’s international reputation. The Gallery’s one outcome, as outlined in the Portfolio Budget Statements 2018–19, is ‘Increased understanding, knowledge and enjoyment of the visual arts by providing access to, and information about, works of art locally, nationally and internationally’.

326 staff at 30 June 2019. The Gallery has an inclusive workforce, employing people with a disability and people with culturally diverse backgrounds, including Indigenous Australians. Women represent 67% of the Gallery’s workforce and 50% of its Senior Management Group.

Our collection

Our supporters

Over nearly half a century of collecting, the Gallery has achieved extraordinary outcomes in acquiring and displaying Australian and international art. The national art collection is valued at $6 billion and has reached millions of people around Australia and the world through our displays and exhibitions at the Gallery in Canberra, our travelling exhibitions and loans programs, publications and website. See the collection reach map.

The Gallery nurtures strong relationships with external stakeholders, such as artists and their representatives, other galleries, schools, universities, the business sector, the media, the Australian Government and the wider community. These relationships help us to present the finest exhibitions and public and education programs and add significant value to the national collection through gifts and donations. Find our supporters at Appendix E.