The wait is over! After three long years, art lovers will finally be able to experience the new Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) building.

The glass doors to the shiny new gallery space will slide open to the public this Saturday, December 3. And 15,000 keen beans have already registered to visit.

It’s been 30 years since the Art Gallery has had a proper expansion and this new building will almost double its capacity for displaying artworks.

There’s also the new Yiribana gallery, a space dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and is the first gallery visitors encounter when entering the building.

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Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, the contemporary building is connected to the original Art Gallery through a perfectly manicured outdoor public garden.

Together with the NSW Government’s whopping $244 million in funding, the Art Gallery raised more than $100 million from private donors to turn this gallery space into reality. It marks the largest successful government and philanthropic arts partnership of its kind in Australia. 

To celebrate the opening, the Art Gallery will be hosting a free program of exhibitions, collection displays and new commissions, featuring works by over 900 local and international artists. There’ll also be a curated program of talks, workshops, special performances and music, including a nightly drone show designed by Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie and a free concert in the Domain on December 10 featuring Ellie Goulding, Meg Mac and Electric Fields. 

The AGNSW will extend its opening hours at both buildings until 10pm each night, from December 3-11. For more information, visit artgallery.nsw.gov.au

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Image credits: Installation view of one of the interstitial spaces in the new building at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, featuring works by (left to right) Ugo Rondinone, Frank Stellaand Sol LeWitt, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Zan Wimberley; Installation view of the Dreamhome: Stories of Art and Shelter exhibition in the new building at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, featuring works by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran © Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, photo ©Art Gallery of New South Wales, Zan Wimberley.