Christmas will come early for local art lovers on December 19 when City of Newcastle unveils iconic pieces of Australian art valued at more than $30 million as part of the opening of the fourth new exhibition space in the expanded Newcastle Art Gallery.
Colonial-era classics and modern icons by Joseph Lycett, William Dobell, Grace Cossington Smith and Margaret Preston will be among the highlights of more than 130 works of art on show in this gallery space.
Installation view, Iconic Loved Unexpected: Newcastle Art Gallery Collection, Newcastle Art Gallery, Australia, 2025 © the artists and their estates. Photo: Matt Carbone
The opening will be celebrated by the return of the Gallery's popular Friday Night Sounds after-hours event, featuring live music by Newcastle singer-songwriter Nina Romeru and a wildlife drawing workshop with local artists.
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton OAM said it was exciting to be able to reveal another new space as preparations continue for the full reopening in February 2026.
"We have been overwhelmed by the support shown since we opened the doors to the community on September 26 for their first look at some of our new galleries," Ms Morton said.
"Almost 11,000 people have already visited the Gallery and been treated to a taste of our nationally significant collection alongside major First Nations commissions and new acquisitions.
"We've had visitors coming from across Australia and around the world including Austria, Canada, Finland, France, India, Mongolia and Switzerland.
"At the same time, we've been continuing to meticulously prepare the rest of the Gallery's spaces in line with the strict environmental conditions required for the long-term presentation of works of art.
"We're thrilled to be able to open our fourth new gallery space later this month, but this is still just the beginning, with more art and another nine exhibition spaces to come next year."
The Gallery is open Friday to Sunday each week from 10am to 4pm. The free Friday Night Sounds event will be held on 19 December from 5pm to 8pm.
Visit https://newcastleartgallery.nsw.gov.au/ to stay up to date with the Newcastle Art Gallery expansion project.
The entire Gallery will be reopened in February next year, in conjunction with a major collection exhibition and the unveiling of a commission by internationally renowned artist Fayen d'Evie.
The expansion project is supported by $5 million from the Australian Government under the Regional Recovery Partnerships and $5 million from the New South Wales Government under the Regional Recovery Package, as well as $12 million from the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation made possible through the Valerie and John Ryan bequest, Margaret Olley Trust, and community fundraising over many years. A further $1 million is currently being sought through the Foundation's public fundraising campaign.
