Newcastle Art Gallery
Located in Laman Street Cooks Hill above Civic Park, the Newcastle Art Gallery contains an impressive art collection, primarily Australian artists. Limited display area restricts the number of art works on display, but a rotation ensures new works every few months.
The large sculpture of a nest and giant egg mark the entrance to the gallery, making it easy to find.
The gallery often displays special exhibits, which adds another reason to visit. During our last visit, the exhibit was Between Two Worlds, which featured works of art produced by Australian artists of Chinese heritage.
Permanent Collection
The gallery’s collection consists of over 6,500 items, covering areas of ceramics, painting, photography, prints & drawings, sculpture and video & new media. Works from colonial to the present are represented, from local, Australian and several international artists.
Foyer Ceiling 
Painting From the Permanent Collection 
Painting From the Permanent Collection
Between Two Worlds
This was a great exhibit to walk around, because of the variety and quality of the works. Unfortunately, it has now finished, but a new one by George Gittoes is on display until mid-April 2020.
Foyer Ceiling Newcastle Art Gallery Exhibit 
Untitled by Guo Jian 
Bronze Power Dragon by Guan Wei 
The Open and Spacious Second Floor 
Samurai Painting Part of the Between Two Worlds Exhibit 
Part of the Between Two Worlds Exhibit 
Newcastle Art Gallery Exhibit 
Between Two Worlds Exhibit
Newcastle Art Gallery Sculpture Garden
Don’t forget to look at the sculpture garden while at the art gallery. Access is via a door near the toilets, to the left of the main entrance. With under a dozen sculptures, it is small, but still interesting and worth walking around to enjoy the displays.
Newcastle Art Gallery Sculpture Garden 
Sculpture by Margel Hinder 
Submarine 1993 by Edward Milan 
Two Forms 1958 by Kathleen Shillam 
Skyscraper by Vlase Nikoleski 
Beacon 1992 by Akio Makigawa 
Mary Magdalene 1978 by George Bladessin
New Displays in September 2020
When we re-visited in September 2020, there were new exhibits on display from the Gallery’s collection, along with this year’s Kilgour Prize entrants. We had an enjoyable time looking at the artwork.
Newcastle Art Gallery 
Marion Borgelt – Liquid Light Horizontal Triptych No. 1
Kilgour Prize 2020 – On Display Until November 2020
In 1987, artist Jack Kilgour bequeathed funds for the creation of a major figurative and portrait art competition to be run in perpetuity at Newcastle Art Gallery. Today, the Kilgour Prize is one of Australia’s major art prizes, and awards $50,000 for the most outstanding work of art as determined by a panel of three judges, and $5,000 for the People’s Choice Award, as determined by votes from the public.
For figurative and Portrait Painting
The Kilgour Prize 2020 
Kenneth Lambert – I See Myself Reflected in You 
Jordan Richardson – The Dunce 
Oliver Shepherd – The Proposal (Portrait of the Hon. Michael Kirby AC CGM) 
Daniel Butterworth – Self Waiting For Life To Happen Number Two
What Did We Think?
A great place to visit and because the exhibits change regularly, a great place to go back to. Well laid out, it offers ample opportunities for photographs.
Our photos are available for purchase on
As we do not have copyright permission for any of the artworks shown here, none of these photos are for sale. However, photos from many of our other stories can be found on Shutterstock.
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.