Adelaide’s has several world-class art galleries peppered around the city that any patron of the arts would be impressed by. European masters reside in their galleries, along with Indigenous art, student art, and art by local Adelaide artists.
The North Terrace Cultural Precinct is a good place to start when touring Adelaide’s art galleries. The must-visit of these is the Art Gallery of South Australia, directly next door to the South Australian Museum and the State Library of South Australia. The neoclassical façade is gorgeous in and of itself, but its collection of 47 000 artworks continue to impress visitors year after year. They were the first state gallery to acquire an artwork from an Indigenous artist, and have since continued to expand their collection from its 19th century founding interest in European art to a more diverse palette. There’s a lot to see here, so take your time. The onsite café is the perfect place for a rest stop if you’re overwhelmed by everything on show.
North Terrace also features the Royal South Australian Society of Arts, and the Samstag Museum of Art. The former is located on the first level of the Institute Building, and is proudly Australia’s oldest arts society. They run around a dozen exhibitions throughout the year out of their historical, purpose-built gallery dating back to 1906, which is an interesting visit if you’ve got time. As for the Samstag, this gallery is a university art museum managed by the University of South Australia, and is the largest contemporary art gallery in the state. A two-minute walk away is the South Australian School of Art gallery, where student art is displayed if you’re interested in discovering cool pieces by up-and-comers.
Adelaide’s West End hosts several smaller galleries, like Household Presents, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental, and APY Gallery. JamFactory is renowned as a gallery and studio space featuring ceramics, glass, jewellery and metal, offering daily glass blowing viewings, short courses, exhibitions, and of course, a shop to purchase some of your favourite pieces.
City Central provides a couple more options for galleries, typically independent and private. FELTspace and Floating Goose Studios are both artist-run and committed to supporting emerging contemporary artists, both easy stop-ins while you’re in the CBD, but not so much as The Little Machine, located conveniently within Rundle Mall. For something more established, Adelaide Town Hall hosts a contemporary collection in its first-floor gallery.