National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Art works at the National Gallery of Australia representing thousands of years of indigenous culture. Photo: Visit Canberra. — Art works at the National Gallery of Australia representing thousands of years of Indigenous culture. Photo: Visit Canberra.

It’s Easy To Lose Yourself For A Few Hours

When it comes to exhibitions, the National Gallery of Australia’s blockbuster exhibitions are Canberra’s biggest drawcard, bringing people from all around the country to see art work and treasures often on loan from major galleries and institutions across the world. What’s on offer elsewhere in the Gallery is probably enough to keep you enthralled for a few days anyway, but it’s easy just to lose yourself for a few hours depending on your interests – choose from collections of Australian, Pacific, Asian, European and American art.

Look for Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles, which created a scandal when it was purchased in 1973, and the enormous canvas of David Hockney’s A Bigger Canyon. The collection of indigenous Australian art is particularly outstanding. Pause to reflect at the Aboriginal Memorial, an installation of 200 painted hollow log coffins created by artists in Arnhem Land as a tribute to the suffering and loss experienced by Aboriginal people.