Past exhibitions 2014

This exhibition of the Australian Bookbinders focuses on contemporary practice in the art form known as design binding. On display are 28 books with unique bindings created by members of the guild.

Explores the connections and disjunctions of travelling in ‘strange lands’ and recording photographically what is thought, seen and experienced.

Reko Rennie’s art explores issues of Aboriginal identity within an urban environment. This work takes its cue from the Beastie Boys single 'No sleep till Brooklyn’.

Showcases some of the objects, maquettes, photographs, notebooks, sketchbooks and correspondence that have been acquired for the Balnaves Foundation Australian Sculpture Archive.

A rare chance to see outstanding works by masters such as Mantegna, Rembrandt, Watteau, Gainsborough, Goya, Constable, Blake, Ingres, Delacroix, Manet, Cézanne, Degas and Klimt.

A small selection of works from this year’s scholarship winner and finalists.

Portraiture for Whiteley was an insight into the psychology of the human condition. This exhibition includes some of his acclaimed self-portraits as well as his most ambitious portrait project.

Eleven vibrant abstract paintings from the Gallery’s collection

Two exceptional 17th-century portraits of royals Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales and Elizabeth of Bohemia, children of James I, by the remarkable Jacobean portrait painter Robert Peake the Elder.

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

Renowned for her physically immersive and optically dazzling installations, Sydney artist Nike Savvas energises the Gallery’s 'main street’ with a newly commissioned installation.

Delve into the legend and dramatic wonder of Japan’s oldest theatre tradition with exquisite masks, costumes, instruments and paintings.

Includes transcendent photographs of 18th- to 19th-century Parisian landmarks taken by Max Dupain when he travelled to Paris in 1978 with architect Harry Seidler, alongside his botanical and other architectural photographs.

Tony Garifalakis is an artist whose work investigates political, social and religious systems of belief while questioning mechanisms of surveillance, compliance and control.

Recalls the remarkable stay of the Austrian imperial frigate Novara that sailed to Sydney in late 1858, in a series of large-scale drawings alongside texts, letters and an artist book.

Highlights from the Gallery’s collection of exquisitely constructed headdresses, arm- and leg-bands, ear- and nose-rings and necklaces as well as other superb pieces used in rituals, for war and in everyday life.

Showcases 40 years of work from a pioneer of conceptual art and one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century.

Six remarkable paintings from the Lewis Collection, produced by four of the most audacious figurative painters of the past century.

Over 1.7 million people worldwide have seen this incredible story of courage involving priceless ancient artefacts which have survived war, looting and a Taliban decree to destroy all images.

Australia’s largest and most exciting contemporary visual arts festival celebrates the artistic imagination as a spirited exploration of the world.

Explores the extraordinary landscape paintings of central Australia by Aboriginal artists in the Gallery’s collection.

Considers familial ties, the Hazara people and culture, and the emergence of a lawless society in Afghanistan, as well as the construction of morality and ethnic, racial and religious fanaticism.

Whiteley redefined the way we see the Australian landscape, becoming one of our most celebrated 20th-century painters with his interpretations and moods of the countryside.

Looks at 16 photographers from the 1960s to the 2000s to consider their various approaches to the depiction of modern Australian life.

A dynamic and popular exhibition featuring a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the HSC examination in Visual Arts, 2013.

Ceramics, stone and bronze sculptures, textiles and paintings from the Gallery’s collection, acquired through the generosity of benefactors Edward and Goldie Sternberg and their friends.

Discover the clarity of forms, understated elegance of decoration and subtlety of colour in these exquisite objects from the world’s most outstanding collections of Korean ceramics.

Featuring some of Australia’s most famous and popular artists, this exhibition of 25 works from the Gallery’s collection charts the continuous development of the still life in Australian art.

This immersive installation, created with paper, light, sound and performance, explores ideas of home and housing, culture and community.

Vibrant crayon drawings, produced by senior ceremonial leaders at Yirrkala in Arhnem Land in 1946-47, are displayed for the first time alongside the work of their descendants in this important exhibition.

Tino Sehgal is known for his innovative works that consist purely of live encounters between people in museums. This 29th Kaldor Public Art Project is presented in association with the Art Gallery of NSW.

Spectacular landscapes, epic stories and diverse peoples feature in the most expansive historical survey of American art ever presented in Australia, from the colonial era to the mid 20th century.

Explores the nature of the object and the variety of ways in which artists from the 19th century to today have rendered things photographically and shaped our perception of the material world.

Based on the figure of Australian farmer and engineer PA Yeomans, this project proposes new, creative and sustainable ways of working with the land.