{"id":219297,"date":"2025-10-17T03:46:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T03:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/219297\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T03:46:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T03:46:12","slug":"national-gallery-of-australia-unveils-2026-artistic-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/219297\/","title":{"rendered":"National Gallery of Australia unveils 2026 Artistic Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"APYThe National Gallery of Australia<\/a> has announced its 2026 program, unveiling a line-up of major exhibitions and projects that celebrate the breadth of art and cultural expression.<\/p>\n

Headlining the 2026 Artistic Program are major exhibitions that celebrate culture and explore the epic and the imaginative: from the upcoming\u00a05th National Indigenous Art Triennial:\u00a0After the Rain<\/a>\u00a0to the inaugural presentation of the full set of Arthur Boyd\u2019s towering tapestries, and\u00a0Full Throttle<\/a>,\u00a0which uses the automobile as a lens to interrogate contemporary life, identity and power.<\/p>\n

Opening this December and continuing into 2026 and beyond with a national tour,\u00a0After the Rain\u00a0is the realisation of Artistic Director Tony Albert\u2019s vision. It comes to life this summer through 10 immersive, large-scale projects by established and emerging First Nations artists from across Australia.<\/p>\n

Over winter, the National Gallery presents\u00a0Arthur Boyd: tapestries<\/a> \u2013\u00a0a landmark exhibition offering the first opportunity for audiences to experience 20 monumental tapestries by renowned Australian artist Arthur Boyd.<\/p>\n

Boyd commissioned the tapestries, part of his large-scale Life of St Francis\u00a0series, from the Manufactura de Tape\u00e7arias de Portalegre, Portugal, and they were purchased by the National Gallery in 1975. This exhibition is the first time the complete series of 20 tapestries has been on public display.<\/p>\n

\"AustralianPresented alongside this exhibition, the collection display\u00a0Tapestries from the national collection<\/a>\u00a0demonstrates how this ancient form of textile production remains a compelling medium for artists today.<\/p>\n

Taking centre stage from December 2026 is\u00a0Full Throttle<\/a>, bringing together a dynamic group of contemporary artists who challenge the myths and meanings built around cars and confront themes of gender, power, performance and national identity.<\/p>\n

From post-apocalyptic myth to suburban realism, the car is shown as a connector and divider, saviour, destroyer and muse. This major exhibition is fuelled by the legacy of the\u00a0Mad Max\u00a0films and features immersive installations and works by leading international and Australian artists.<\/p>\n

Other highlights of the artistic program celebrate contemporary art from across the country and artists who uniquely and poetically depict the Australian environment.<\/p>\n

Ngura Pulka \u2013 Epic Country<\/a> is an artist-led project which showcases ambitious, large-scale paintings by senior First Nations artists and collectives from the A\u1e49angu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, Coober Pedy and Tarntanya\/Adelaide.<\/p>\n

From the beginning of the APY art movement, these artists have embraced the opportunity to celebrate and share their Tjukurpa (A\u1e49angu law\/ cultural stories) through their monumental paintings and distinctive designs.<\/p>\n

Senior women artists, as Community leaders, describe these major works as representing for APY artists and First Nations Communities the ultimate freedom of cultural expression, exploration and depiction of their Tjukurpa and Ngura (land).<\/p>\n

\"Rosalie<\/p>\n

Rosalie Gascoigne<\/a>\u00a0is a major retrospective honouring one of Australia\u2019s most distinctive voices. From her early small assemblages to her expansive wall works and floor installations the exhibition traces Gascoigne\u2019s transformation of found, humble materials into highly inventive and radiant works that speak to her poetic evocation of the natural world.<\/p>\n

Next year\u2019s programming also includes new National Gallery Touring Exhibitions and the Sharing the National Collection program, supported through the Australian Government\u2019s National Cultural Policy\u00a0Revive.<\/p>\n

New tours celebrating the National Gallery\u2019s photographic collection include\u00a0Max Dupain and Ansel Adams: in search of perfection<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Photography in the 1980s<\/a>, as part of the\u00a0Bowness Family Foundation Photography Touring Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Throughout 2026, visitors to the Gallery will see recent acquisitions to the national collection on display for the first time. Audiences can look forward to experiencing new additions to the collection by First Nations and Australian artists including Albert Namatjira, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori and Trent Parke \u2013 as well as significant contemporary art from abroad, with works by Dana Schutz, Julie Mehrutu and Raven Halfmoon.<\/p>\n

\"TrentHighlighting these acquisitions, new collection displays will invite audiences to consider different themes through a variety of mediums. They include:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2026, the National Gallery continues to champion artistic excellence, art history and the ideas that have shaped Australia\u2019s cultural identity,\u201d said Dr Nick Mitzevich, Director, National Gallery. \u201cFrom Arthur Boyd\u2019s spiritual tapestries to the rebellious energy of Mad Max\u00a0in\u00a0Full Throttle, and from the deep cultural strength of\u00a0After the Rain\u00a0to the visionary work of Rosalie Gascoigne \u2013 these exhibitions reveal the vast possibilities of storytelling through art.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSharing the national collection with more Australians beyond Kamberri\/Canberra is at the heart of the National Gallery\u2019s purpose. Through Art Across Australia programming including touring exhibitions and the Sharing the National Collection program, more Australians than ever can engage with the national collection in their own communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, the collection travelled to every state and territory, reaching over 3 million people, and we look forward to continuing to expand our reach throughout 2026,\u201d said Dr Mitzevich.<\/p>\n

For more information about the National Gallery of Australia, visit: www.nga.gov.au<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n

Images: APY Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Regional Collaborative,\u00a0Ngura Pulka, 2022 \u00a9 the artists, courtesy APY Art Centre Collective |\u00a0Lesley Dumbrell, Australian Tapestry Workshop, Sonja Hansen, Iaian Young,\u00a0Rosella\u00a01981-82, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri\/Canberra, commissioned by the Australian National Gallery 1981 \u00a9 Lesley Dumbrell\/Copyright Agency | Rosalie Gascoigne,\u00a0Suddenly the Lake, 1995, given by the artist in memory of Michael Lloyd 1996 \u00a9 Rosalie Gascoigne\/Copyright Agency | Trent Parke,\u00a0Untitled #4\u00a01998, from the series \u2018Mount Pandemonium, Bathurst, NSW\u2019, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri\/Canberra, purchased 2025 \u00a9 Courtesy of the artist, Hugo Michell Gallery, and Michael Reid Galleries<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Gallery of Australia has announced its 2026 program, unveiling a line-up of major exhibitions and projects…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,4100,4097,4094,4095,4102,4101,647,4093,4091,4103,44,4092,4099,4090,4105,4089,4098,4104,4096],"class_list":{"0":"post-219297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-belvoir","11":"tag-circus-1903","12":"tag-fortyfivedownstairs","13":"tag-grayson-perry","14":"tag-kinky-boots","15":"tag-la-boite-theatre","16":"tag-melbourne","17":"tag-midsumma","18":"tag-miss-saigon","19":"tag-moulin-rouige","20":"tag-news","21":"tag-ngv","22":"tag-opera-australia","23":"tag-publication-media","24":"tag-rocky-horror","25":"tag-theatre","26":"tag-tina-turner","27":"tag-todd-mckenney","28":"tag-yayoi-kusama"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}