CANBERRA.- ‘It is our hope people will say that this Gallery with its Sculpture Garden on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin is, in itself, a work of art.’ - Gordon Darling, Chairman, Australian National Gallery, 1982. Published in the 40th Anniversary year, Vision: Art, Architecture and the National Gallery of Australia celebrates the story behind one of the nation’s most remarkable buildings.

Designed by pioneering architect Col Madigan AO, of Edwards Madigan Torzillo and Briggs, the iconic National Gallery building is a bold combination of the sculptural and the functional. Vision honours Madigan’s complex masterwork with a major essay by internationally respected architectural historian Professor Philip Goad alongside never-before-seen images from the Gallery’s photographic archive, including those by renowned Australian photographers David Moore and Max Dupain.

National Gallery Director Dr Nick Mitzevich sees Vision as ‘a celebration of this significant building in the history of Australian architecture, exploring the building in its entirety – from its founding on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country to its status today as a world-renowned gallery’.

‘The National Gallery of Australia is unique among our major collecting institutions in that it was established during the twentieth, rather than the nineteenth, century,’ Mitzevich said.

‘This necessitated a modern approach to collecting and exhibiting works of art, which in turn led to the conception and design of an unconventional, even radical, building in which to house the national collection.’

Vision charts the conception of the National Gallery of Australia building – its design, construction and controversial aftermath – ‘which has all the qualities of a Promethean struggle’, according to Goad, an expert on modern Australian architecture.




Planned in the open-minded 1970s but opened in the more conventional 1980s, Goad explains the National Gallery building has not always been understood or embraced.

‘Understanding the complex evolution of this now heritage‑listed building reveals its unique place in Australian architecture, and among art galleries both in Australia and internationally,’ Goad said.

‘Now is the time to recognise the building for what it is, and celebrate the ambition of its creation, dare to uncover its bones and revel in its concrete presence and retrieve its vision.’

Designed by John Warwicker and published in partnership with Black Inc., this elegant volume features an Introduction to Place written by Bruce Johnson McLean, Wierdi and Birri Gubba people, Assistant Director, First Nations Engagement, National Gallery, and reflections from National Gallery curators Lucina Ward and Simeran Maxwell on the Gallery’s first exhibition.

Interspersed with drawings, plans and archival images that document the evolution of the building, Vision will appeal to lovers of art, architecture and Australian history.

The National Gallery acknowledges the generous support of Foundation Board Directors as supporters of this publication through the Foundation Board Publishing Fund.

Vision is available now from the National Gallery Art Store and selected retailers for RRP AUD $49.99.