Hopefully by the time you finish reading this post you will know a lot more about art in Sydney and our opening section will fully cover the best art galleries and museums near you.
Up next we will discuss a variety of other topics like local art supply stores, events, festivals, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures and statues, art classes, studios for rent, and the top frame shops in your area.
Contents
If you are searching for any specific section you can jump straight to it by using the table of contents on the left and we will also be sharing a Sydney art map with all of the various venues we mention throughout the post pinned on it.
You are more than welcome to look through our other posts on Australia right there.
Best Art Galleries & Museums In Sydney
The best art galleries and museums in Sydney would of course also be some of the best in the country:
- Art Gallery Of New South Wales at Art Gallery Rd
- Museum Of Contemporary Art Australia at 140 George St
- Boomalli at 55-59 Flood St
- 4A Centre For Contemporary Asian Art at 181—187 Hay St
- White Rabbit Gallery at 30 Balfour St
- Artspace Sydney at 43-51 Cowper Wharf Rd
- Brett Whiteley Studio at 2 Raper St
- Campbelltown Arts Centre at 1 Art Gallery Rd
- Firstdraft at 13-17 Riley St
- Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery at 8 Soudan Ln
- Museum Of Sydney at Corner Phillip & Bridge St
- Ken Done Gallery at 1 Hickson Rd
The Art Gallery of New South Wales is open every day and admission is always free while on Wednesdays the Gallery stays open late for Art After Hours but the rest of the week you can head over from 10am to 5pm. They have about 30,000 objects in their collection including Ford Madox Brown’s Chaucer at the Court of Edward III, Streeton’s 1891 Fire’s On, Roberts’ 1894 The Golden Fleece, and McCubbin’s 1896 On the Wallaby Track. You can also enjoy a program of talks, films, performances, courses, and workshops.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia houses around 4,000 pieces by Australian artists acquired since 1989 with a significant emphasis on works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. They have an annual exhibition called Primavera that features the work of young local artists aged 35 and under as well as an exhibition called The National that features the work of 24 Australian artists from major cities, rural areas, and remote communities. Admission to their galleries and temporary exhibitions are free and you can check them out from 10am to 5pm most days but they are closed on Monday and stay open until 9pm on Friday nights.
Every year Boomalli hosts an annual exhibition showcasing works by Aboriginal artists from the Worimi, Biripi, Dunghutti, and Gumbaynggirr Nations. They also sell artwork and provide services that include art workshops and corporate advisory while keeping regular hours of 10am to 4pm Tuesday through Saturday.
White Rabbit Gallery is home to over 2,000 paintings by nearly 700 artists and the gallery is open to the public from 10am to 5pm on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday with free admission.
The permanent collection of the Campbelltown Arts Centre in Sydney includes over 1,400 works by major Australian and international artists Joyce Mate, Yvonne Koolmatrie, Shirley MacNamara, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Kitty Kantilla, and numerous others. They also provide a variety of public activities like workshops, talks, live music, and performances which you can enjoy from 10am to 4pm every day but Thursday.
Some of the art at Ken Done Gallery is for sale and you can check it out from 10am to 5pm daily.
Materials & Supplies Near You
Some of the best local art supply stores where you can buy just about anything you need are:
- The Sydney Art Store at 11 Salisbury St
- Parker Sydney FIne Art Supply at 3 Cambridge St
- Eckersley’s Art & Craft at 93 York St
- Art Scene at 1-37 Greens Rd
- Kadmium Art Supplies at 80 Bay St
- Newtown Art Supplies at 15 Wilson St
- Pigment Lab at 80 Enmore Rd
The Sydney Art Store provides stretching services as well as easel rentals and art classes.
Parker Sydney Fine Art Supply carries limited edition supplies in store and they also offer bespoke stretching and re-stretched canvas.
Custom services like picture framing, easel rentals, canvas stretching, art and craft events, and workshops are available at Eckersley’s Art & Craft.
With over 17,000 product lines Art Scene carries all major brands such as Winsor and Newton, Canson, Matisse, Atelier, and many more. They also offer custom framing services and cater to a wide range of framing needs.
Kadmium Art Supplies is another good option for custom art and picture framing near you.
Newtown Art Supplies specializes in custom stretchers as well as being a Wholesale Canvas Australia distributor offering over 40 different materials to choose from.
Shows & Events
The best annual art shows, festivals, and events in your area are:
- Sydney Festival in January
- Biennale of Sydney every other March
- Sydney Contemporary in September
- Sculpture by the Sea from October to November
Sydney Festival is a three-week-long arts festival held each January when approximately 500,000 people attend the over 100 events from local and international artists. The list of things to check out includes contemporary and classical music, dance, circus, theater, visual arts, and talks.
The Biennale of Sydney is an international contemporary art festival held every other year and it is the world’s third oldest biennial after Venice and Sao Paulo and is Australia’s largest event of its kind. More than 1,900 national and international artists from over 100 countries were commissioned and presented remarkable works of art at the latest event.
Sydney Contemporary is the largest and most diversified gathering of leading galleries in the country as every September the Fair welcomes over 80 galleries showing the work of over 450 leading and emerging artists exhibiting the best in contemporary art at Carriageworks which is Australia’s largest multi-arts venue. Along with the galleries there are curated sectors for installation and performance as well as a program with interesting panel discussions and educational workshops.
Sculpture by the Sea is Australia’s largest annual outdoor sculpture exhibition that is held at Bondi Beach every year for three weeks from late October to early November. Over 100 local, interstate, and international creators participate attracting between 450,000 and 500,000 visitors.
Don’t forget about Art After Hours at The Art Gallery of New South Wales each Wednesday either.
Art Dealers & Appraisers
When you need a local art dealer or appraiser contact:
- Art Index at 1/346-348 Kent St
- Rise Community Art at 5/10 Bridge St
- 69 John St Fine Art Specialists at 69 John St
- Martinez Art Dealer at 15-27 Hutchinson St
- Scheding Berry Fine Art at 39 Oatley Rd
Art Index not only sells fine art but also rents it out.
69 John St Fine Art Specialists both buy and sell works and offer discreet and professional assistance on the Australian auction market.
Martinez Art Dealer carries over 250+ Australian, Aboriginal, and international works, many by well-known creators.
Scheding Berry Fine Art specializes in high-quality Australian Colonial, Impressionist, Edwardian, and Modern paintings, prints, and sculptures. They also provide expert advice to individual and corporate collectors.
Boomalli and Ken Done Gallery from the best galleries in your area list also sell art.
Walking Tours
If you are reading this on a sunny day why not go on an art walking tour with:
- Culture Scouts Walking Tours at Level 1/30-34 Wilson St
- Renaissance Tours at Level 4/47 York St
Culture Scouts offers guided walking tours of the cultural inner city hubs with trips that perfectly blend art, food, history, and culture providing you with a one-of-a-kind perspective on this great city. Their tours are available as public tours, private tours, corporate team building tours, and specialized school and university tours.
Renaissance Tours is a leading provider of cultural and special interest tours in the fields of opera, music, ballet, art, architecture, and gardens. They will take you to various art spots in Sydney including some of the top museums and galleries near you.
Sculptures & Statues
You can also find some really cool sculptures and statues around town like:
- Dobell Memorial Sculpture at 16 Spring St
- Day In Day Out at 1 Bligh St
- Yininmadyemi Memorial at Elizabeth St
- Bird Totem at 255 George St
- Queen Victoria Statue at 12 Macquarie St
The Dobell Memorial Sculpture was created by artist Herbert Flugelman and placed in 1979.
Day In, Day Out is located at the top of the broad curving steps in front of the entrance to the 1 Bligh St office tower in the CBD. It was created and installed in 2011 by James Angus.
Tony Albert created the Yininmadyemi Memorial which can be located in Hyde Park South.
The Queen Victoria Statue was the work of Joseph Edgar Boehm and was unveiled during the opening celebrations for the International Exhibition in 1879 at the intersection of Prince Albert Road and St James Road.
Don’t forget about Sculpture By The Sea from our events section that goes down each October and November either.
Sydney Art Classes
Some of the best Sydney art schools and classes for kids or adults can be found at:
- National Art School at Cnr Forbes St & Burton St
- Art Class Sydney at St Johns Church Hall, Corner Spring & Thomas St
- Sydney College of the Arts at Manning Rd
- Sydney Art Space at 64 Darley St
- Art Est at 4/67-69 Lords Rd
- Julian Ashton Art School at 117 George St
- The Art Studio at Unit 1/94 Marine Parade
National Art School is a tertiary level school that offers specialized education in studio arts practice in a variety of subjects. Aside from tertiary degrees NAS offers a diverse range of short courses and workshops to students of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of experience while also providing seasonal art courses for children k-12.
The Art Class Sydney provides daytime, evening, and weekend painting and drawing art classes for adults while summer art classes and private lessons are also available.
Since 1976 Sydney College of the Arts has been the leading contemporary art school in studio-based visual arts practice and education offering ten study programs ranging from visual art to moving images.
Adults, teens, and children can take art classes at Sydney Art Space who provides evenings classes, weekend classes, and after school programs. There are also holiday programs for adults, teens, and children as well as a wide range of once-a-month creative workshops each month.
Art Est provides 8-week art classes and workshops for students of all ages along with a variety of one-day and two-day workshops in addition to holiday programs and night classes every Friday.
Julian Ashton Art School provides full and part-time courses for adults which include a variety of courses, evening sessions, and holiday courses which are held during all school holidays.
Classes for people of all ages and ability levels are available at The Art Studio where creative birthday parties, paint and sip workshops, creative corporate events and team building workshops, and amazing retreats around the country also go down.
Some other places to take classes near you from our other lists include The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Boomalli, and The Sydney Art Store.
Studios For Rent Near You
You might be able to rent an art studio in your area at:
- Woodburn Creatives at 1 Woodburn St
- Scratch Art Space at 67 Sydenham Rd
- Join-The-Dots at 102 Victoria Rd
- May Street Artist Studios at 23-25 May St
- The Nest Creative Space at 76 Botany Rd
Framing
A frame can take a normal looking picture a long way, and some of the best places for picture or art framing around town are:
- Sydney Art & Framing Supplies at 5/49 Derby St
- Frameworks Custom Picture Framing at 144/148 Goulburn St
- Photoland at 1/82 Elizabeth St
- Sydney Picture Frames at 1075 Victoria Rd
- Acme Framing at 525 Crown St
- Andrew Bassett Fine Framing at 53 Victoria Rd
In addition to framing Sydney Art & Framing Supplies provides printing services, canvas stretching, and framing materials for do-it-yourselfers.
Photoland has one of the largest assortment of frames in your area and aside from custom framing they also do restorations and digital printing.
Acme Framing provides solutions for practically any framing or presentation need including modern and classic hand-made frames, acrylic display cases, and architectural sample boards. They are capable of stretching, mounting, floating, encasing, and protecting almost anything.
Another great option for high-quality fine art and conservation framing is Andrew Bassett Fine Frame who excels at frame restoration and canvas stretching in addition to art conservation and restoration.
Eckersley’s Art & Craft, Art Scene, and Kadmium Art Supplies from the supplies and materials list are other options for quality local art and picture framing.
Just in case you might be interested we want to mention that we also have posts on:
- Buying Art Supplies & Paintings in Melbourne
- Buying Art Supplies & Paintings in Adelaide
- Buying Art Supplies & Paintings in Gold Coast
- Buying Art Supplies & Paintings in Brisbane
Have Fun Enjoying The Sydney Art Scene
Well guys, we tried to cover the full art scene near you to the best of our abilities. You read about all the top local galleries, museums, events, shows, supply stores, dealers, appraisers, walking tours, sculptures, classes, studios, and framers in your area.
Don’t be afraid to use the comments to let us know about any of your own tips and tricks. Also feel free to mention if we got anything wrong or if anything we posted has become dated.
We hope you have fun going to the galleries, museums, buying supplies or doing anything that has to do with art in Sydney!
