Australian Galleries

Australian Galleries is a substantial contemporary art institution with a long connection to Melbourne’s inner north. Founded in 1956 by Tam and Anne Purves, it began in Collingwood as a commercial gallery supporting post-war Australian artists, including Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, John Perceval and Albert Tucker. The gallery later expanded to Sydney, while continuing to develop its Melbourne programme and relationships with artists across Australia. It is listed in Fitzroy, Melbourne, and remains a family-run business under National Director Stuart Purves, with the next generation involved in its management and archives.

The gallery’s focus is significant contemporary Australian art, presented through a busy exhibition schedule and extensive stock galleries. Its history includes long-standing associations with artists such as Jeffrey Smart, John Olsen, Tim Storrier, Brett Whiteley, Inge King, William Robinson and John Wolseley, as well as the management of major estates. The programme changes regularly, making it a useful destination for visitors who want to see different artists and approaches across repeat visits rather than a single permanent display.

The Melbourne site includes gallery and stock-room spaces designed to accommodate both exhibitions and the storage and display of works. The stock rooms feature white-cube areas, a print room devoted to master printmakers, and an archives department. This gives the venue a broader scope than a single exhibition room: visitors can engage with the current programme while also exploring the gallery’s wider holdings, subject to what is on display. The site also presents artists’ books and works for sale, with some pieces available by request and availability.

Recent and listed Melbourne exhibitions show the range of the programme. These include Hilary Finch’s All Night Beneath The Ruins, Ayako Saito’s The sum of my parts, Mary Tonkin’s A selection of works, and the group exhibition Winter Garden. Gallery East’s Japanese Prints: Masterpieces of Graphic Design brings together historic woodblock prints associated with artists including Utagawa Yoshiiiku, Kikugawa Eizan, Ikeda Eisen, Utagawa Kunisada, Ando Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai. It is a good fit for solo visitors, art students, collectors and small groups looking for a focused gallery visit, with exhibitions, talks and artist events providing reasons to return.