Canberra’s mist and bush in shades of green and grey is distilled and focused into a smaller area in the garden of the National Gallery of Australia. A bronze boat slides into the pond, and jets spray mist across it, completing the perfect, painting like scene of the bush of eastern Australia.

Inside the nationalistic theme continues with prominent exhibitions of aboriginal ‘dot’ art and the work or more modern Australian artists, including more landscapes and images of early Australia by Tom Roberts (1856-1931). A solid selection of international artists complete the collection and the gallery often hosts visiting exhibitions of international acclaim, despite being built in Canberra, the ‘backwater capital’, this is Australia’s premiere gallery you’re constantly reminded.

Even though the purchase took place in 1973, Jackson Pollock’s ‘Blue Poles’ still has a controversial pride of place. Costing A$1.3 million at the time (US$2 million), it was the gallery’s most extravagant purchase to date and the highest price ever paid internationally for a piece of modern art, but many Australian’s couldn’t help but conclude that they could flick and dribble paint onto a canvas into a better pattern for that price.

Written by  Kat Mackintosh.

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