As of Wednesday 25 March 2020 all galleries and museums Australia-wide will be closed, adhering to COVID-19 restrictions from the federal government. During this time Art Guide Australia will continue to publish and share the art, stories and ideas of artists across the country. View our latest articles here.
Canberra Contemporary Art Space
The new East Space Gallery opening will be postponed. CCAS Manuka is also closed until further notice.
National Gallery of Australia
The Gallery remains open at present but has cancelled all public programs, education activities and Members’ events until 13 April. This includes all tours, school visits, art talks, March Art Weekend including Night Shift, Super Sunday and Sensory Sunday, Art Babe, Art with Friends and Membership events such as Coffee with a Curator and our exclusive viewings. Ticket holders for paid events will be contacted by Gallery staff or an event representative.
Megalo Print Studio and Gallery
Megalo will remain open, however all public programs are suspended.
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia building, including reading rooms, Exhibition Galleries, Bookshop and cafes, remain open. To limit the spread of COVID-19 the National Library has decided to temporarily suspend all onsite public programs including guided tours and onsite learning programs from Monday 16 March until further notice. The National Library will be contacting anyone who has booked tickets to any of their events.
National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery remains open with tours of The Darling Prize and National Photographic Portrait Prize
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia has cancelled its education programs and on-site screenings, exhibitions and special events, until 30 April 2020.
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art will be closed from Wednesday 18 March. All public programs are be suspended.
aMBUSH Gallery
aMBUSH Gallery will temporarily close its Sydney and Canberra galleries.
Annette Larkin Fine Art
Annette Larkin Fine Art will be open by appointment only.
Artereal
Arterial remains open, with currently exhibition Anna Carey’s Faraway extended until 18 April.
Artbank
The Artbank Sydney showroom will not be open to the public. Public programs have been postponed. View the collection online.
Art Gallery of NSW
The Gallery remains open at present but has cancelled all public programs for 2 weeks.
Art Month Sydney
Art Month Sydney will not proceed with the remaining events of the 2020 program. Tickets purchased will be reimbursed.
Art Atrium
Art Atrium will be closed to the public but current exhibitions are available to view online.
Australian Centre for Photography
The ACP Project Space Gallery will be closed from 17 March 2020 until further notice. The ACP anticipates workshop courses and public programs will be cancelled or rescheduled. Individual ticket holders will be notified.
Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative
Boomalli will essentially be closed to the public for the next 14 days (as of 17 March) and will be open by appointment only during the following hours: Tuesday – Friday 11am – 4pm.
Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
While the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre gallery remains open, numerous events through March and April have been cancelled including: ABC Chatfest, the exhibition launch events for A Familiar Place I’ve Never Seen and Adaptation, The Wharf Revue on Film, Italian Film Series Launch, The Piano Man Goes to Vegas, plus public access programs. For a full list and updates head here.
Cement Fondu
Cement Fondu will be temporarily closed until further notice.
Chalk Horse
Chalk Horse will be operating by appointment only from Saturday 21 March.
Cooks Hill Gallery
Cooks Hill Gallery will be open by appointment, with viewing and sales shifted online.
Fine Arts Sydney
Fine Arts Sydney and Michael Lett Gallery will soon be presenting an online viewing platform. This platform will launch in April. Fine Arts Sydney is open only by appointment.
Firstdraft
Firstdraft will be closed until 3 May.
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
The Festival of Dangerous Ideas scheduled for 3-5 April has been cancelled. Ticket holders will be contacted in relation to the processing of refunds.
Fox Jensen Sydney & Fox Jensen McCrory Auckland
Both galleries are participating in the Art Basel Online Viewing Rooms, taking the place of Art Basel Hong Kong 2020. You can create an online profile here to register to join the online viewing rooms. Fox Jenson Sydney is open by appointment only.
Gaffa Gallery
Gaffa Gallery will remain open, however all opening events will be suspended.
Galerie pompom
Galerie pompon will remain open, presenting two new shows Return to Aus and Give up the ghost.
Hazelhurst Arts Centre
Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & the Broadhurst Gallery will remain open at present to view the current exhibitions. Art workshops will continue and the Café and shop will also remain open.
Hawkesbury Regional Gallery
Hawkesbury Regional Gallery is temporarily closed to the public until further notice.
Head On Photo Festival
An online version of the Head On Photo Festival will be held from 1–17 May and will be accompanied by a program of online seminars and events throughout the Festival period.
Jerico Contemporary
Jerico Contemporary will be open by appointment only.
Ken Done Gallery
Ken Done gallery will be closed until March 30, and the gallery will reassess the situation at that time. Exhibitions at the gallery are able to be viewed online.
Lismore Regional Gallery
All events and public programs are suspended until further notice. At this stage the gallery will remain open to the public.
Manly Art Gallery and Museum
Manly Art Gallery and Museum will be temporarily closed.
MAY SPACE
While MAY SPACE currently remains open, the gallery will be monitoring their exhibition program, opening hours, and events on a day-to-day basis.
OLSEN Gallery
OLSEN gallery will remain open, however opening events will be postponed.
Penrith Regional Gallery
Penrith Regional Gallery is currently remaining open. Performance and talks are suspended until at least May 2020.
Powerhouse Museum
The Powerhouse Museum remains open but has suspended all public and education programs (including school groups and tours) from 16 March, for an initial period of 2 weeks.
The Other Art Fair
The Other Art Fair has announced the postponement of its upcoming Sydney and Melbourne editions. The Sydney fair was due to take place 19–22 March at The Cutaway at Barangaroo, with the Melbourne fair from 21–24 May.
Roslyn Oxley 9 Gallery
Roslyn Oxley will be open by appointment only.
Sydney Jewish Museum
The Sydney Jewish Museum will close from 17 March – 31 March.
Sarah Cottier Gallery
Sarah Cottier Gallery is now open by appointment only. The current exhibition can also be viewed on the gallery website.
Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas
The Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas (SCCI) announces a second and final modification to the recently updated Australia-focussed Fashion Hub for 2020. With international speaker participation postponed on Friday 6 March, Dr Gene Sherman AM and the expert SCCI team have created a format best suited to the now confirmed global pandemic of the Covid-19.
State Library of NSW
The Library remains open at present but has cancelled all events, talks and tours.
Sullivan + Strumpf
Sullivan + Strumpf remains open with no opening events to take place.
Sydney Living Museums
Sydney Living Museums has decided to temporarily suspend all public programming for a period of six weeks through to Sunday 26 April. This includes onsite learning programs, performances, talks, walking tours and all school holiday activities. Their 12 museums and historic houses will remain open to the public.
Tweed Regional Gallery
Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre and Gallery DownTown will be closed for two weeks, starting from Tuesday 17 March.
UTS Gallery
UTS Gallery will be closed from today until the end of the Autumn Session. Current exhibition Fit For Purpose will be closed from Tuesday 17 March and all associated public programs at UTS Gallery will not go ahead. Any paid bookings will be refunded. The upcoming exhibition The Watters Gift, scheduled to open 28 April, will be postponed.
University Gallery, Newcastle
The university galleries will be temporarily closed until health restrictions are lifted.
Verge Gallery
Verge has postponed the upcoming opening and exhibitions Steel Magnolias, Jana Hawkins-Andersen with Ainslie Templeton, Link Tree, Corinna Berndt and Bolero: A Tale of Tech Support, Sophie Penkethman-Young. These exhibitions will be included in the 2021 program. In the meantime, the gallery remains open with current exhibitions Photomechanical, curated by Jack Harman and Geospatial Atlas, Vaughan Wozniak-O’Connor.
Yavuz Gallery
Yavuz Gallery Sydney is temporary closed.
Parrtjima
Parrtjima – A festival in light has been rescheduled for 11-20 September 2020–
Artisan
Artisan will be closed until further notice. Catch up with the Artisan community online here.
Edwina Corlette Gallery
Gallery visitations can be arranged by appointment only. Exhibitions can also be viewed online.
HOTA, Home of the Arts
HOTA will close from Tuesday 17 March. The closure and cancellations will remain until at least the end of the month. Ticket holders for forthcoming events will be contacted to arrange a refund.
Institute of Modern Art (IMA)
IMA will be closed until further notice, includes main galleries, IMA Belltower, gallery shop, public programs, and group tours.
Onespace Gallery
The future format of exhibitions will be altered. Instead of an opening event, on Saturday 21 March, artist Jo Lankester will conduct hourly tours of up to 15 people from 11am to 7pm. Book a time via Facebook.
QAGOMA
QAGOMA are cancelling all guided tours, public programs and events from 17 March until further notice. If you have paid for an upcoming event, a refund will be made in the next 10-15 days. QAGOMA remains open to the public during its normal hours of 10.00am – 5.00pm daily, with cinema screenings as scheduled.
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ACE Open
ACE Open will remain open, however all public problems are suspended.
Adelaide Festival Centre venues will close to the public and all performances will be suspended from midnight until 30 April. All theatres, venues, bars and the box office will be closed to the public. Ticket-holders will be contacted directly and refunds for cancelled performances will be processed automatically.
Praxis Artspace
Praxis Artspace will remain open and the exhibition Island to Outback is available for viewing as normal. The gallery will be sharing more through social media channels to allow those who have self-quarantined to experience the current exhibition through images, video, and descriptions.
Flinders University Museum of Art
FUMA is suspending all public programs, and putting on hold all volunteer activity and internships. The gallery will remain open for the time being.
Burnie Regional Art Gallery (BRAG)
BRAG will stay open but all public programs will be either cancelled or postponed. The exhibition openings scheduled for Friday 20 March have been cancelled.
Contemporary Art Tasmania
Contemporary Art Tasmania will be closed as of Friday 20 March. Reopening dates will be advised.
Colville Gallery
Colville Gallery will be open by appointment beginning from Friday 20 March 5pm until further notice.
Dark Mofo
Dark Mofo 2020 has been cancelled due to concerns around the impact of coronavirus. Read the full statement here.
Design Tasmania
Design Tasmania’s galleries and store will be closed effective from 18 March until 6 April.
Museum of New and Old Art (Mona)
Mona will temporarily close from Wednesday 18 March.
Moonah Arts Centre
Moonah Arts Centre will be closed to the public as of Friday 20 March 5pm
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery will be temporarily closed.
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Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA)
ACCA will be closed from Tuesday 17 March until Tuesday 14 April. The Thursday Lecture Series presentation moved to late-April (date TBC), and ACCA’s forthcoming exhibition Frances Barrett: Meatus will be delayed to mid-April.
Australian Galleries
Australian Galleries will remain open.
Alcaston Gallery
Alcaston Gallery will be closed to the public until further notice. The gallery will be open by appointment only with all exhibitions available to view online.
Artbank
The Artbank Melbourne showroom will not be open to the public. Public programs have been postponed. The scheduled program for Melbourne Design Week will not run. View the collection online.
Arts Project Australia
Arts Project Australia gallery and studio will be closed to the public until 14 April. This closure includes the cancellation of the opening of 3 x 3 scheduled for Saturday 21 March and postponement of the internal exhibition program until further notice.
Art Gallery of Ballarat
The Art Gallery of Ballarat will be closed from Monday 16 March until further notice.
Bunjil Place
Upcoming performances and events at Bunjil Place have been either cancelled or postponed. Bunjl Place Gallery is closed.
Buxton Contemporary
Buxton Contemporary is temporarily closed to the public.
Blindside
Blindside will be closed for a two-week period. All public programs and events will be suspended.
c3 Gallery
c3 Gallery will be temporarily closed until further notice.
CAVES Gallery
CAVES will be closed until further notice.
Cascade Art Gallery
For the next month, Cascade Art Gallery will only be open by appointment and online.
Centre for Contemporary Photography
The Centre for Contemporary Photography will be suspending all public events and the scheduled exhibition No True Self until further notice.
Counihan Gallery Brunswick
Counihan Gallery will be closed until 31 March.
Craft Victoria
While Craft Victoria’s Melbourne CBD space is currently remaining open, Craft is postponing all public events until Monday March 30, including Design Weeks talks scheduled for Saturday 21 March.
Daine Singer
Open by appointment only. The planned opening of Jordan Marani’s NOBODY has been cancelled. Instead, view the exhibition online and contact the gallery for an in person viewing. The exhibition dates will be extended future exhibition dates will be rescheduled.
The Dax Centre
The Dax Centre will be closed from 17 March until 31 March.
East Gippsland Art Gallery
The gallery will remain open during the week but will be closed on Saturdays. The following events have been postponed: stART HERE, Creative Kids, and Life Drawing After Hours.
Finkelstein Gallery
Finkelstein Gallery will be open by appointment only.
Flinders Lane Gallery
Flinders Lane Gallery will be closed from Wednesday 18 March. Exhibitions are viewable online.
FUSE Festival Darebin
The 2020 FUSE Festival is cancelled.
Geelong Gallery
Geelong Gallery has suspended the delivery of all public programs, education programs, events and outreach programs, including the Geelong Design Week program, until at least Monday 13 April 2020. The gallery remains open at this stage.
Heide Museum of Modern Art
Heide is closed until Monday 13 April.
Islamic Museum Australia
The Islamic Museum Australia will be closed from Tuesday 17 March until further notice.
James Makin Gallery
The gallery will be open by appointment only, with exhibition opening events put on hold.
Jewish Museum of Australia
In light of the Victorian Government’s declaration of a state of emergency, the Jewish Museum of Australia will close from 16 March, with all upcoming events and education programs postponed. Instead, the museum directs visitors to its online collection and social media.
The Johnston Collection
The Johnson Collection will be closed to the public from Wednesday 18 March from 2.00 pm until Tuesday 14 April.
Justin Art House Museum
Justin Art House Museum will be closed until further notice.
Kinross Arts Centre
Kinross Arts Centre will be closed from Thursday 26 March.
Koorie Heritage Trust
Koorie Heritage Trust will be closed to the public from Saturday 21 March until Monday 13 April.
Liquid Architecture
All upcoming Liquid Architecture public programming has been cancelled or postponed.
MPavilion
MPavilion will come to a premature close.
Martin Browne Contemporary
Martin Browne Contemporary will remain open, presenting two shows Marlene Gilson – On Country and Monika Behrens – Space For Time until 29 March.
Margaret Lawrence Gallery
Margaret Lawrence Gallery will be temporarily closed to the public.
MARS Gallery
From Tuesday 17 March MARS will only be open by appointment.
Melbourne Art Fair 2020
Melbourne Art Fair has been rescheduled for 4 – 7 February 2021.
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery will be closed to the public from Tuesday 17 March until further notice. Even though the gallery doors are temporarily closed, they will continue to share our collection, exhibitions, stories and children’s activities online.
Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA)
MUMA will remain open, however visitors to the current exhibition are limited to 25 people. Please bring your own headphones in order to participate in the artwork Wet Matter.
Next Wave 2020
Next Wave will not go ahead in May in its planned form.
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria, both NGV International and NGV Australia sites, will close temporarily to the public from Monday March 16 until Monday April 13, in a precautionary measure that considers the current public health situation.
Explore the NGV Collection https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/
Read NGV’s annual art publication Art Journal https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/channel/publications/art-journal/
Download NGV eBooks https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/channel/publications/
Visit the NGV Channel https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/channel/
Go on a virtual tour of NGV galleries https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/virtual-tours
Access NGV kids resources https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/kids/
Schools can book Virtual Excursions at https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/learn/schools/
Online Learning Resources for schools https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/learn/resources/
Old Quad Gallery, University of Melbourne
Old Quad Gallery will be closed temporarily until further notice.
Seventh
Seventh will be closed until further notice.
Shepparton Art Museum
SAM remains open to the public. Public programs and education activities have been cancelled.
The SUBSTATION
The SUBSTATION is temporarily closed until further notice.
TCB
The TCB board have decided to postpone forthcoming exhibitions until further notice.
Ten Cubed
Ten Cubed Gallery will be temporarily opened to the public by appointment only, effective tomorrow Wednesday 18 March until further notice. All guided tours, public programs and events will be postponed.
Trocadero Art Space
Trocadero has postponed the following exhibitions: Like Cures Like, Chunxiao Qu, Wyd! (What you doin!), Curated by Kathy Sarpi and Across the Haze, Curated by Corinna Berndt. All public programs have also been postponed.
Tolarno Galleries
Tolarno Galleries are now open by appointment.
Town Hall Gallery
Town Hall Gallery will be closed from Wednesday 18 March until Tuesday 14 April, with the possibility of closures being extended.
Wangaratta Art Gallery
Wangaratta Art Gallery will temporarily suspend all public events and programs effective Tuesday 17 March and will remain in effect for four weeks, through to 17 April.
ReadingRoom
ReadingRoom will be temporarily closed, but the current exhibition can be viewed online.
RMIT Project Space
RMIT Project Space & Spare Room Galleries will be closed from Friday 20 March until further notice.
Sofitel Melbourne on Collins
Sofitel Melbourne on Collins have announced the cancellation of the launch of Holding Time by Mali Indigo.
STATION
STATION gallery currently remains open, however they will be monitoring their hours over the coming days.
Stockroom Gallery
Stockroom Gallery is open by appointment only.
TarraWarra Museum of Art
TarraWarra Museum of Art is temporarily closed to the public until further notice. The TarraWarra OPEN WEEKEND 2020, scheduled for 21 and 22 March 2020, is now cancelled.
TCB Art INC.
The TCB board have decided to postpone forthcoming exhibitions until further notice.
The Other Art Fair
The Other Art Fair has announced the postponement of its upcoming Sydney and Melbourne editions.The Sydney fair was due to take place 19–22 March at The Cutaway at Barangaroo, with the Melbourne fair from 21–24 May.
Victorian Artists Society
The Victorian Artists Society has decided to close the Victorian Artists Society building at 430 Albert Street, East Melbourne, for four weeks. Current activities regarding art classes, exhibitions, workshops, life drawing and paint outs will cease operation. Members communication during this period will remain the same, via phone, email, and regular updates in newsletters.
West Space
West Space is postponing their opening event and exhibition, scheduled for Friday March 20, as well as the WELFARE symposium, scheduled for Saturday March 21 and Sunday March 22, until further notice. From Tuesday 17 March the gallery will be closed for two weeks.
100th Gallery
100th Gallery will be temporary closed until further notice.
The following Victorian Government cultural agencies will also close temporarily (reopening dates have not yet been announced):
Arts Centre Melbourne
Geelong Arts Centre
Melbourne Recital Centre
Museums Victoria
State Library Victoria
Art Collective WA
Art Collective WA will remain open however all upcoming public events have been postponed.
John Curtin Gallery will remain open to the public and will adopt the recommended ‘social distancing’. Yet the gallery has temporarily suspended our public program activities including the upcoming ‘Speaker Series’, which was due to commence this Wednesday 18 March. The gallery will be working with presenters to deliver these talks and discussions via alternative means.
Margaret River Region Open Studios
Margaret River Region Open Studios has been postponed.
Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery
All public events at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery will be cancelled until 9 May. The Gallery itself and current exhibitions will remain open during normal hours of Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 5pm.
65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art is an extraordinary account of the unique art of this continent, published alongside a landmark exhibition at the Potter Museum of Art. Necessary and urgent, it tells the story of Indigenous Australian art; a new art history unlike anything we’ve seen. For Jane O’Sullivan, it’s a remarkable and must-read book.
In a new series of illustrated postcards available as a free gift with purchase only at the Art Guide Bookstore, Oslo Davis takes on classic and contemporary art terms and genres and reimagines what they could be referring to.
With so much to choose from, we’ve rounded up the major summer exhibitions in each capital city, open all summer long. Spanning Yayoi Kusama, Magritte, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, and many more.
Whether looking for the perfect Christmas gift or searching for a summer read, we have selected some of our favourite art books of 2024—spanning everything from comprehensive gallery monographs to notable exhibition catalogues and self-published artist books.
In his latest exhibition at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Jack Ball challenges the extractive history of the archive while searching for shapes that can articulate the complexity of trans life.
In two new exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, René Magritte and Cao Fei speak to each other across cultures and eras about the way that perception can unsettle reality—and the places the real intersects with the surreal.
