Admire Aboriginal paintings, colonial-era landscapes and works from across Europe and America at Queensland’s leading, and free, traditional art gallery.
The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is home to thousands of works from around the state, Australia and the wider world. There’s a good selection of European, American and Asian art, but the bulk of works in the collection are by Australian artists.
Explore the European galleries to see paintings and sculptures from the 1500s through the 1900s. There are decorated panels from the 16th century Cologne School, Dutch still life paintings and fine examples of British portraiture. You’ll also find works by French masters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and furniture and ceramics. Among the most popular items are Blandford Fletcher’s Evicted and Picasso’s La Belle Hollandaise.
Move on to the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert galleries for a look at Australian art from colonization (1788-1901) onwards. You’ll find landscape paintings and portraiture in the academic tradition as well as abstract works and Aboriginal art from the 1960s and ’70s. Gaze at J.A. Clarke’s 1880 Panorama of Brisbane, Australian impressionist works from the Heidelberg School and one of the gallery’s best-loved paintings, Under the Jacaranda by R.G. Rivers.
Visit the post-war galleries to see works inspired by surrealism and German realism. Explore the 1960s and ’70s collection to find pieces responding to modernist policies and a rapidly-changing world.
Walk to the adjacent galleries to see Aboriginal works from the renowned Papunya region and examine Japanese prints and traditional Chinese ceramics in the Asian galleries. There are also artifacts from Neolithic Asian civilizations along with textiles and weapons from Southeast Asia.
The Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) are part of the same organization and are located close to each other in the Cultural Centre on South Bank. The gallery is just across the Victoria Bridge if you come from the city center. It’s best to walk or catch public transport to the gallery, because parking nearby is expensive. Both galleries are open daily, except major holidays. Admission is free, but you may have to pay for some special exhibits.