The Auckland Art Gallery (Toi o Tāmaki) is New Zealand's largest public art collection — housed in a dramatically remodelled 1888 French Renaissance building whose 2011 extension (designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp) won the World Building of the Year award at the 2013 World Architecture Festival. The extension features a kauri wood ceiling with 20 tree-shaped ceiling pods that mimic the native forest canopy.
The collection is strongest in New Zealand art — the Māori portrait series by 19th-century artist Gottfried Lindauer, the early 20th-century landscapes of Colin McCahon and Rita Angus, and the contemporary works of Shane Cotton, Michael Parekōwhai, and the many Pacific artists who have come to prominence since 2000. The international collection includes Goya, Gainsborough, and Picasso, and a Guan Yin bronze whose 12th-century date makes it one of the oldest artworks in New Zealand. Entry is free to the permanent collection.
Verified Facts
The original building dates to 1888
The 2011 extension was designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp
It won World Building of the Year in 2013
Gottfried Lindauer painted many 19th-century Māori portraits
Get walking directions
Wellesley Street East, Auckland CBD
