Sydney Art Exhibitions at Art Gallery New South Wales

I got there ears to avoid the school crowds. It was a lovely experience. I do recommend this exhibition.

This was our first time coming to see a Rene Magritte exhibition. The exhibition had Magritte’s work set out chronologically. It was well explained and laid out. I had initially followed the audio notes, but the server stopped responding after audio 4. Therefore, that was a bit disappointing. The exhibition showed how talented Magritte was as an artist with the many painting styles that he could do. It also showed lots of interesting facts and influences to Magritte’s surrealism. A worthwhile exhibition to attend.

I found interesting the combination of portraits and landscapes of eighteenth-century painters and contemporary works and / or Aboriginal art. Floor -2 houses a diverse collection of contemporary art featuring Australian and foreign artists. On the same floor there is currently a temporary retrospective exhibition on Magritte (admission to the exhibition $35; the museum is free).

The NSW Art Gallery is one of the great, free activities in Sydney. General entry is always free and you only pay for special exhibitions like the Magritte exhibition that is the big drawcard over summer. On Wednesday evenings, the gallery opens late and from 5 - 10pm, they are offering 2-for-1 tickets, which is a very generous deal. In any case, visiting the gallery on a balmy summer’s evening and going for a meal and drink in the city afterwards is just a lovely thing to do. The Magritte exhibition was excellent and we throughly enjoyed it. They do not shortchange you on Magrittes (there over 100 works, covering four decades). Nor have they padded it out with minor works. There are a whole host of instantly recognisable paintings. His familiar motifs were everywhere - the bowler-hatted man, the pipe, the green apple, the all-seeing eye and the white clouds. Some of the works are irreverent and humorous like the self-portrait with his nose morphing into a pipe. Some are unsettling like 'The Lovers', with strangely shrouded faces or 'The Dominion of Light' with its eerie, uncanny landscape. Others, like the giant apple turn reality on its head. TIPS: 
* I would highly recommend being there for the 7pm Curator’s guided tour. It’s free and whilst it attracted a big crowd, she spoke clearly and used a microphone so it was very easy to follow and to hear her. * On Wednesday evenings, the Gallery’s Members’ Bar is open to the general public * Tickets are normally $35 and the exhibition runs until 9 Feb, 2025.

A great opportunity to look at the life’s work of a truly influential artist of the twentieth century. I really enjoyed the archive footage examining Magritte’s work.

Do NOT miss the exhibition. On from late October to early February. Not really an exhibition for families or small children. $35 admission fee and entirely worth it. AGNSW boasts 100+ works by Magritte - just WOW. I don't want to give it away, so I will only post a handful of pics, but you would be missing out it you didn't take the time to see this exhibition.