This building is in the style of great galleries in other cities—neo-Greek, large and pillared, with the names of the greats of the art world carved into its sides—but set in the Domain, it has a hard time competing with the view from its front yard.

When the gallery was first established in 1874, works by European artists were purchased to get the collection going and the public through the doors, but in later years, the emphasis shifted to home-grown talent—Streetons, McCubbins and works by Tom Roberts and E. Phillips Fox are some of the most memorable. On display are works documenting the look of the Australian landscape. Works by Sydney Nolan, Arthur Boyd and Brett Whiteley are favourites from the more recent collections and there is also a large collection of work by indigenous Australian artists, both in the traditional and more modern styles.