Biography
The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney began without a collection and without a building on 24 April 1871 when a group of 30 art-loving citizens established a society to support artists and promote knowledge and enjoyment of art in the wider community. In 1874 they secured government support for their project and by 1880 they had their own dedicated building, the first of its kind in Australia. In 1885 it was moved to its present site. The historic sandstone buildings facing Art Gallery Road were built between 1896 and 1909, with major new extensions opened in 1972, 1988 and 2003. The Art Gallery of NSW has allocated £1,000 to the CAS to but modern British paintings on its behalf. The Contemporary Art Society donated British works of art between 1944 and 1989. Paul Nash's Sunflower and Sun, 1942 was the first work to be given by the CAS to a Commonwealth country in 1944.
