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gallery profile
/ QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY ANNUAL REPORT 05/06
5
GALLERY PROFILE
Established in 1895, the Queensland Art Gallery opened in
its present premises in June 1982. Since that time, over 10
million people have visited the Gallery.
On 2 December 2006, the Gallery’s second site, the Gallery
of Modern Art, will open. It will be the largest art museum in
Australia solely dedicated to modern and contemporary art.
Comprising contemporary and historical art works, the
Gallery’s Collection is supported by a varied public program
which features diverse exhibitions and provides a
comprehensive educational program with a focus on children
and youth. The success of the Gallery’s children’s exhibitions
and programs has placed the Gallery at the forefront of
children’s programming in galleries and museums worldwide,
and the establishment of the Children’s Art Centre
demonstrates the Gallery’s commitment to young visitors.
The Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) is the
Gallery’s flagship international contemporary art event.
Established in 1993, the APT is the only major series of
exhibitions in the world to focus exclusively on the
contemporary art of Asia and the Pacific, including Australia.
After four APTs and more than a decade of focused
engagement with the art of the region, ‘The 5th Asia–Pacific
Triennial of Contemporary Art’ will open on 2 December 2006
and be shown across two sites — the Queensland Art Gallery
and the Gallery’s second building, the Gallery of Modern Art.
As part of the Queensland Government’s Millennium Arts
Project, the Gallery of Modern Art will enable the Gallery to
strengthen and diversify its services, and respond to the
continuing challenges of presenting and interpreting
Queensland’s cultural life. The two-site Queensland Art
Gallery will be Australia’s second-largest public art museum.
Travelling exhibitions and related services are provided to
regional and remote Queensland via the Gallery’s regional
services program, increasing access to the art collection for all
Queenslanders. The Gallery is justifiably proud of its services
to regional Queensland, and is the only state gallery to provide
a comprehensive program of Collection-based travelling
exhibitions to regional areas as part of its core business.
The Australian Cinémathèque, established in 2005 and the first
of its kind in an Australian art museum, represents an
important new direction for the Gallery in terms of collecting,
conserving, presenting and interpreting film and screen culture.
Committed to strengthening relationships with Queensland’s
Indigenous communities, the Gallery profiles the artistic
practice and cultural life of Indigenous Australia through
exhibitions and initiatives such as the ‘Xstrata Coal Emerging
Indigenous Art Award’ inaugurated in 2006. The Gallery’s
Collection comprehensively represents the vibrant cultural
practices of Queensland’s Indigenous artists.
The Queensland Art Gallery Foundation plays a vital role in
the Gallery’s activities in its attraction of private and
corporate sponsorship, while support from the Queensland
Government underpins the Gallery’s exhibitions, public
programs and acquisitions.
VISION
Increased quality of life for all Queenslanders through enhanced access,
understanding and enjoyment of the visual arts and furtherance of Queensland’s
reputation as a culturally dynamic state.
MISSION
To be the focus for the visual arts in Queensland and a dynamic and accessible art
museum of international standing.
Charles Blackman
Australia b.1928
City lights
1952
Oil on composition board, 74 x 62cm
Purchased 2005 with funds from the
Queensland Art Gallery Foundation
Blackman Art Appeal
© Charles Blackman, 1952. Licensed by
Viscopy, Sydney, 2006