The Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth boasts a collection of around 16,000 works but only 1600 are on display at any one time in its permanent galleries. Displays are strongly focused on promoting Indigenous and Western Australian art.
The collection dates back to July 1895, when administrator of the colony Sir Alexander Onslow opened the Perth Museum, which then moved into a new building with the Public Library in 1908. In 1995, its centenary was celebrated by its expansion into the adjacent Police Courts, now appropriately known as the Centenary Galleries.
The collection encompasses both traditional and contemporary art in a wide range of forms, from painting to print and photography to sculpture. The gallery also hosts a number of special exhibitions; please see the venue website for the latest schedule.