In the late 19th century, Queensland artists Isaac Walter Jenner and R. Godfrey Rivers successfully lobbied for the creation of a state art gallery, which opened as the Queensland National Art Gallery in 1895. It occupied a series of temporary premises prior to the opening of its permanent home at Brisbane's South Bank in 1982.
The establishment of the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) in 1993 forged a focus on artwork of the region, and as an ongoing exhibition series the APT created a case for a second building to display growing contemporary collections. The Gallery of Modern Art opened in 2006, creating a two-campus institution.
The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) is a single institution located across two adjacent river-side buildings in the Cultural Precinct at Brisbane's South Bank. Our vision is to be the leading institution for the contemporary art of Australia, Asia and the Pacific.
QAGOMA holds a Collection of over 17,000 works of historical, modern and contemporary art, and stages a dynamic program of Australian and international exhibitions. We are home to the Children's Art Centre which collaborates on interactive artworks with leading artists from around the world, and the Australian Cinémathèque, the only dedicated cinema facility in an Australian art museum.
QAGOMA operates its own retail outlets and cafes and restaurants, proceeds from which support the Gallery.
