Art & Artists Archives

The National Gallery’s Research Library and Archives holds 148 manuscript collections of unique research material that document the history and development of the visual arts, both nationally and internationally.

As the Gallery has a particularly strong collection of works of art from the 1960s and 1970s, we hold several major research archives from this period. These include Papers of Gallery A, Papers of Marion Kaselle: Galleries of Max Hutchinson, Papers of James Mollison and Papers of Betty Churcher. We also hold the archives of Australian artists including: Marion Hall Best, Mona Hessing, Lesbia Thorpe, Miriam Stannage, Colin Madigan, and Loudon Sainthill.

If there is an archive in our collection you would like to explore, or if you are seeking advice on how to start your archival research, you can submit a request. We can provide further information about our holdings, access conditions, and archival finding aids – everything you need to begin your archives research. To view a specific archive, you will need to book an appointment to visit the Research Library. We request a minimum of two weeks notice to prepare for your visit. For some archives access may take longer to arrange. Find out more at planning your Library visit.

Please Note – Access permissions may be required before using and copying archival material. Access to some materials may be closed or restricted, meaning they are not available for use for a set period of time. Some archives may not be processed yet, and therefore providing access may take longer.

Below is a list of the archives we hold. Many of these can also be found in our library catalogue.