Skip to main content
Skip to footer Skip to Acknowledgement of Country
National Gallery of Australia
What's On Art & Artists Visit
Login
  1. Home
  2. What's on
  3. Worldwide

Worldwide

Collection
Ongoing

Installation view, Emile Bourdelle, Maternité [Maternity], 1893, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, Purchased 1978 and Gustave Courbet, Study for Les Demoiselles des bords de la Seine (Été) [Girls on the banks of the Seine (Summer)], 1856, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, Purchased 1980

‘Art is a cultural expression; a history of a people; a statement through a series of life experiences of self-definition; a recounting of an untold story; the bringing to light of a truth of history — a statement possibly unable to be made in any other way.’

Djon Mundine, Bandjalung people

  • About
  • Bodhisattva group

About


Paintings of Ned Kelly by the artist Sidney nolan hang on the brutalist architecture of the National Gallery of Australia.

Sidney Nolan, Ned Kelly series, installation view

The Gallery is currently undergoing critical building upgrades. During this time, some galleries within this exhibition are closed. To see what is currently open please visit the Gallery Changes page.


This major display, drawn from the collection, is inspired by the National Gallery’s founding history. The Gallery’s vision was to be a ‘centre of art for the whole world’. Our collection reflects this ambition, drawing together some of the greatest achievements of artists from Australia, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas and Europe.

Worldwide is structured around pivotal works in the collection, at the heart of which is The Aboriginal Memorial of 200 dupun (hollow log coffins) from 1987–1988. One of the most significant installations in Australian art history, together these dupun stand as a memorial to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives lost to colonial and ongoing conflict and trauma in Australia from 1788–1988.​

Working across time, place and media, the display charts aspects of modern art, the cultural traditions of Australia, Asia and the Pacific, the centrality of First Nations art to understanding place, and the radical experimentation of each era. It celebrates the diversity of art and cultures across the globe and shows how fundamental ideas such as landscape, abstraction, memory, the body and the power of art itself continue to resonate, demonstrating the interconnectedness of culture and our experience of the world.​

Bodhisattva group


A picture of three bronze sculptures of Cambodian deities

Champa Kingdom, Avalokiteshvara Padmapani, Vajrapani and Avalokiteshvara Padmapani, 9th­­–11th century, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, Acquired 2011, deaccessioned 2021, repatriated 2023, On loan from the Kingdom of Cambodia, 2023–2026

On Friday 28 July 2023, the National Gallery repatriated three bronze sculptures to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The works of art repatriated are Avalokiteshvara Padmapani, Vajrapani and Avalokiteshvara Padmapani. This repatriation is the result of a decades-long and highly valued collaboration between the National Gallery and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in Cambodia.

Following consultations with the Kingdom of Cambodia, the sculptures are now on display at the National Gallery, where they will remain for up to three years while the Cambodian Government prepares their new home in the kingdom's capital.

Read

Works of Art


Francis Bacon

Triptych
1970

Ramingining artists, Djon Mundine, Djon Mundine, Bandjalung people, Bandjalung people

The Aboriginal Memorial
1987-88

Jackson Pollock

Blue poles
1952

Donald Judd

Untitled
1974

Colin McCahon

Victory over death 2
1970

Lee Krasner

Cool white
1959

Matthew Barney

Basin Creek burn
2018

Helen Frankenthaler

Other generations
1957

Huma Bhabha

Waiting for another game
2018

Bridget Riley

Gamelan
1970


RELATED


Worldwide

Love machine

White gallery walls feature a small painting machine device in the top right hand corner. Black ink paint is sprayed across the white wall.
Read Time 12 minutes
First Nations

The Aboriginal Memorial

A wide-angle photograph showing an installation of 200 painted hollow logs standing upright in a large gallery space. The surrounding walls are painted in a dark colour and the logs are positioned on a navy plinth shaped to resemble both sides of a river bank.

Jackson Pollock

Blue poles
1952

ACTION/REACTION

ACTION/REACTION

Jackson Pollock & Blue poles

Sidney Nolan

Sidney Nolan

Ned Kelly

International Art

Worldwide
Curator Picks

Read Time 9 minutes

Browse hundreds of current and past exhibitions

Current Exhibitions Exhibition History
A sphere made of interlocking geometric shapes hangs in the sky
Go back to start of main content
Go to top of page

Yuuma, Gurruburri

The National Gallery acknowledges the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, the Traditional Custodians of the Kamberri/Canberra region, and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country.

  • National Gallery On Demand
  • Art & Artists
  • What's On
  • Visit
  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Jobs
  • About Us
Connect

+61 2 6240 6411
information@nga.gov.au
Get art in your inbox

Open every day

(except Christmas day)
10am – 5pm

Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country
Parkes Place East, Parkes ACT 2600

View Street Map
View Gallery Map


Contact us

National Gallery of Australia
Follow the National gallery of Australia on:
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Website Privacy Website Disclaimer Website Copyright
Opening Acknowledgment of Country

The National Gallery acknowledges the First Peoples of this land and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country

Learn More
    • View All
    • Today
    • Exhibitions
    • On tour
    • Access Programs
    • All Programs
    • On Demand
    • About the Collection
    • Sculpture Garden
    • Kenneth E. Tyler Collection
    • Provenance
    • Conservation
    • Copyright
    • Search the Collection
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Tickets
    • Parking & Transport
    • Art Store
    • Dining
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Research Library & Archives
    • Browse Stories
    • Browse Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Audio Tours
    • Virtual Tours
    • The Annual
    • Publications
    • Learning Programs
    • For people with access needs
    • For Teachers & Students
    • For Young People
    • For Kids & Families
    • For Adults
    • For Your Community
    • Art Cases
    • Educator Programs
    • Get Involved
    • Membership
    • Voluntary Guides
    • Partnerships
    • Support
    • Donate
  • First Nations
  • Accessibility
  • Art Store
  • Media
  • Venue Hire
  • About Us
  • Contacts