Foundations: National Gallery of Australia
A Brutalist building in a bush setting encapsulates our artistic identity, writes Tim Ross.
When Canberra was established in 1913, the new city offered a blank canvas for fresh ideas. In time, our best and brightest architects set about delivering a series of buildings that reflected the dreams and aspirations of a budding nation.
No site embodies this as much as the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). Rising like a monument in a paddock on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin, the sculptural, functional Brutalist building is the ideal home for the nation’s cherished art collection. Surrounded by a symphony of towering gums, it’s the perfect expression of this bush city.
As with many notable buildings, the construction of the NGA wasn’t all smooth sailing. Architect Colin Madigan and his firm won the design competition in 1968 but it wasn’t until 1973 that prime minister Gough Whitlam unveiled the commencement plaque with an expectation that it would be finished by 1976. However, a series of delays meant it wasn’t ready for the Queen to cut the ribbon until 1982.
A black and white image from the time shows the beautifully imposing new gallery with a Holden ute parked out the front; an unintended declaration of a country determined to pursue its own identity. Since then, the works of Australian artists, particularly Indigenous ones, have hung here shoulder to shoulder with some of the best from overseas.
The great galleries of the world have an interplay between art and architecture. The concrete structure of the NGA is perfectly designed to allow its treasures to pop – a muted counterbalance to their rich variety of artistic styles. Unfortunately, a series of internal changes over the years hid some of the building’s features and a controversial extension in 2010 by PTW Architects only added to what seemed like a gross misunderstanding of the structure.
Thanks to the vision of Nick Mitzevich, who took over as the gallery’s director in 2018, a number of these additions are being removed and the architecture moved to the fore again as the NGA is returned to something closer to Madigan’s original vision.
Of course this building is about art and no discussion of the NGA is complete without a mention of the huge abstract painting Blue Poles by Jackson Pollock. Its acquisition in 1973 for the then-record sum of $1.3 million caused outrage across Australia but almost 50 years later it’s viewed as not only an astute buy but a national treasure. A timely reminder that bravery in the arts is always rewarded.
Tim Ross will be performing his new show, Designing a Legacy, at the National Gallery of Australia on 4 April, followed by dates in Newcastle, Perth and Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Visit themanaboutthehouse.net for details.