Sydney Modern Project doubles the Art Gallery of NSW with a new harbourside building

The Sydney Modern Project is a $344 million expansion of the Art Gallery of NSW that opened in December 2022, doubling the gallery's exhibition space with a new building designed by the Tokyo-based architecture firm SANAA. The project connects the original 19th-century gallery building to a new structure on the land below it, creating a sequence of indoor and outdoor spaces that step down toward Woolloomooloo Bay and the eastern edge of the Sydney Harbour National Park.

The building's design strips back the interior to create flexible gallery spaces with natural light and harbour views. The lower level includes large rooms for sculpture, installation and large-format painting, while the upper level provides more intimate galleries for works on paper, photography and video. The building is connected to the original gallery by a sequence of indoor and outdoor terraces that encourage visitors to move between the two structures rather than treating them as separate destinations.

The building and its spaces

The Sydney Modern building is arranged around a central atrium that rises through all four levels, providing a visual link between the floors and allowing natural light to penetrate the interior. The atrium opens onto a terrace on the lower level that looks across Woolloomooloo Bay, and it connects to a series of outdoor gardens and sculpture courts that step down the hillside toward the harbour. The building's facade is made of glass and weathered steel, and it is designed to age and patina over time in response to the coastal climate.

The building includes a dedicated wing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, which is positioned at the entrance level so that visitors encounter First Nations work as their first experience of the collection. The wing includes a circular gallery designed in consultation with Indigenous advisors, and it is used for temporary exhibitions as well as for the gallery's permanent collection of Indigenous art. The gallery has described the wing as a place for cultural ceremony as well as for art display, and the space is used for Welcome to Country ceremonies and other community events.

The collection and programming

The Sydney Modern Project has expanded the gallery's ability to present large-scale contemporary work that would not have fit in the original building. The lower level includes a 400-square-metre gallery for temporary exhibitions, and the building has already hosted several large-scale installations that use the entire floor plate. The first major exhibition in the new building was a retrospective of the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, which attracted more than 400,000 visitors in its first three months.

The gallery's collection of international contemporary art has grown significantly since the building opened, with acquisitions including works by Julie Mehretu, Beatriz Milhazes, William Kentridge and Cindy Sherman. The collection of Australian art has also expanded, with particular attention to contemporary First Nations artists and to work by women artists who were underrepresented in the gallery's earlier acquisitions. The building's larger galleries have made it possible to present major survey exhibitions of artists whose work requires substantial wall space, including the 2025 retrospective of the Indigenous artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

Public access and transport

The Art Gallery of NSW is located on Art Gallery Road in the Sydney Domain, a 20-minute walk from Circular Quay or a five-minute bus ride from the city centre. The gallery is open daily from 10am to 5pm, with late opening until 9pm on Wednesday evenings. Entry to the permanent collection is free, and entry to major temporary exhibitions is priced between $20 and $35 for adults. The gallery offers a range of public programs, including guided tours, artist talks, workshops and family activities, most of which are free or low-cost.

The gallery's public transport access is served by the 389 bus route, which runs between Circular Quay and the gallery entrance. There is a bus stop directly outside the main entrance on Art Gallery Road, and the bus runs every 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours. Parking is available in the Domain Car Park, which is a five-minute walk from the gallery, but spaces are limited on weekends and during major exhibitions. The gallery recommends public transport, walking or cycling as the preferred ways to visit.

The Art Gallery of NSW's official website is at artgallery.nsw.gov.au. The Sydney Modern Project page, with current exhibitions and visitor information, is at artgallery.nsw.gov.au/sydney-modern. Destination NSW's guide to Sydney cultural institutions is at destinationnsw.com.au.

Explore more Sydney arts and culture at the Culture & Escapes hub Read about Sydney's architectural heritage at The City hub