The Best Brisbane Art Gallery Experiences You Can’t Miss

Whether you’re an art connoisseur or simply appreciate the beauty and talent that goes into it, the art scene is a thriving metropolis in Brisbane.

A trip to Brisbane isn’t complete without visiting an art gallery, and luckily, there is a multitude of them to immerse yourself in. One of the best things to do in Brisbane, you’ll find major art galleries, outdoor art and special exhibitions all across the stunning river city that will keep the whole family entertained.

Here, find our guide to exploring the top art galleries in Brisbane.

1. The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)

Large installation at Chiharu Shiota's The Soul Trembles at GOMA Brisbane

GOMA often features revolutionary exhibitions like Chiharu Shiota’s The Soul Trembles. (Image: Evan Natsis)

QAGOMA are two riverside galleries sitting a mere 150 metres apart in South Bank’s Queensland Cultural Centre.

The Queensland Art Gallery is the traditional art experience, and the Gallery of Modern Art is, you guessed it, the modern art hub of the Brisbane galleries.

Collectively, they hold more than 16,000 works of historical, modern, and contemporary art, and also showcase some iconic Indigenous and Australian collections.

Admission: Free, but certain exhibitions and events are ticketed.
Address: Stanley Pl, South Brisbane

2. Brisbane City Council Outdoor Gallery

uesday-Night-by-Maxim-Chikanchi Brisbane outdoor gallery

The artworks liven up laneways and car parks. (Image: Emily Murphy)

The Brisbane City Council Outdoor Gallery was created to transform traditionally unsafe areas, like laneways and car parks, into imaginative, curious and engaging spaces.

Admission: Free
Address: City-wide

3. Museum of Brisbane

The Museum of Brisbane is located on the third floor of City Hall. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

The Museum of Brisbane is located on the third floor of Brisbane City Hall, and this unsuspecting spot is the ideal escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Don’t be fooled by the name, the Museum of Brisbane is in fact one of Brisbane’s best art galleries, with many exhibitions always running. While you’re there, take a tour of the iconic Clock Tower. Make sure you book in advance (it’s free) because spots are limited.

Admission: Free
Address: Level 3, Brisbane City Hall, 64 Adelaide St, Brisbane City

4. Brisbane Powerhouse

Artwork from the Brisbane Portrait Prize 2022

The Brisbane Powerhouse holds the annual Brisbane Portrait Prize. (Image: Emily Murphy)

The Brisbane Powerhouse is a hub for creativity, art and cultural innovation that overlooks the Brisbane River. While not exclusively an art gallery, Brisbane Powerhouse is home to a large collection of permanent art and installations that are on display. It also dons a bunch of heritage-listed graffiti from artists including Lister, Blek le Rat, Kasino, Cezary Stulgis and Ben Reeves.

Temporary visual arts exhibitions, including the World Press Photo Exhibition and the Brisbane Portrait Prize, are held regularly throughout the year.

Plus, the Brisbane Powerhouse is also home to Bar Alto, one of the best restaurants in Brisbane, so you can’t go wrong.

Admission: Free, but there are ticketed events held here to,o which vary in price. See what’s on now.
Address: Yagara Country, 119 Lamington St, New Farm

5. QUT Art Museum

Installation view of ‘Ken + Julia YONETANI: To Be Human’ at QUT Art Museum, Brisbane (5 July – 23 October 2022)

QUT Art Museum often relates to future tech and innovation. (Image: Louis Lim)

Queensland University of Technology’s Art Museum exhibits more than 2000 objects, including paintings and sculptures, predominantly from Australian artists. The exhibitions are generally contemporary art, technology-enabled or in relation to future tech and innovation.

If you want more Aussie landscapes, QUT Art Museum’s sister gallery, the William Robinson Gallery, is proudly dedicated to the display of works by Australia’s pre-eminent landscape artist, William Robinson.

Admission: Free
Address: Queensland University of Technology 2, George St, Brisbane City

6. Woolloongabba Art Gallery

Aboriginal art at Woolloongabba Art Gallery in Brisbane

Woolloongabba Art Gallery’s ethos is steeped in cultural appreciation.

The Woolloongabba Art Gallery (WAG) represents a stylistically varied selection of local and Australasian art. Their ethos is steeped in cultural appreciation, and sourcing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art for the gallery is only done through 100 per cent owned and operated centres around Brisbane and beyond.

WAG has three exhibition spaces and operates in direct response to the need for continued dialogue in Australia’s multicultural future.

Admission: Free
Address: 613 Stanley St, Woolloongabba

7. Judith Wright Arts Centre

Judith Wright Arts Centre is a creative space for visual arts programming, but also for the development and presentation of original and innovative contemporary performance works, including cabaret, circus and dance, among others.

Some of the organisations within the arts centre are the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts, BlakDance, Circa and the Institute of Modern Art.

Admission: Free
Address: 420 Brunswick St & Cnr, Berwick St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

8. Institute of Modern Art

IMA gives space to often underrepresented artists. (Image: Marc Pricop)

The Institute of Modern Art in Fortitude Valley is an alternative and interactive art space, home to some genuinely groundbreaking exhibitions. You’ll experience art unlike you’ve ever seen before all the while knowing the gallery is giving space to often underrepresented artists.

Find the latest exhibitions on their website.

Admission: Free
Address: Ground Floor Judith Wright Arts Centre, 420 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley

9. Metro Arts

Artworks in an exhibition at Metro Arts Brisbane

Metro Arts exhibits both visual art and performance.

Metro Arts exhibits both visual art and performance, taking a closer look at experimental boundary-pushing exhibitions and performances.

Throughout the year, Metro Arts plays host to guest artists in residence as they extend and experiment with their practice and create new contemporary work.

There are also a series of exhibitions put on over the year. See what’s on now.

Admission: Free for art exhibitions, live events are ticketed at varying costs.
Address: 97 Boundary St, West End

10. Jan Murphy Gallery

Jan Murphy Gallery, artist Guido-Maestri-Photography-Chloe-Callistemon

Jan Murphy Gallery is a Brisbane icon. (Image: Chloe Callistemon)

The Jan Murphy Gallery opened in Brisbane in 1995. In that time, it has remained dedicated to the exhibition and sale of contemporary art of the highest calibre.

The large windows facing Brunswick Street showcase the newest exhibitions and give passers-by a taste before they come in and see it in its entirety.

Admission: Free
Address: 486 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley

Mt Coot-tha is set for a glow up with the announcement of a new hiking trail and nature retreat.

Long a popular retreat for Brisbane locals, Mt Coot-tha Reserve is the city’s largest natural area. Just a 15-minute drive from Brisbane’s CBD, it’s already the place for unbeatable skyline views of the city. But now, it will be more than just a short break. Brisbane City Council appointed Brisbane Sustainability Agency to transform the area into a nature-based tourism and recreation hub, including a world-class Mt Coot-tha nature retreat.

person making a heart from their hands at mt coot-tha lookout

The view from Mt Coot-tha is already much loved. (Image: Visit Brisbane)

The plan is to transform the location ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to be hosted in Brisbane, with the intention of developing a long-term strategy make it an an eco-tourism destination and protect the precinct’s native bushland while also enhancing the offerings and accessibility for the over one million visitors Mt Coot-tha already receives per year.

In a press release, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner stated the revitalisation of Mount Coot-tha includes “a 170-kilometre wilderness walking trail with overnight huts, glamping, a botanic gardens night-time lights show and a reimagined tropical dome”.

That tropical dome will transform the one that currently stands on-site to be reminiscent of green tourism destinations like Singapore’s iconic Gardens by the Bay and Butchart Gardens in Canada, complete with botanic gardens and an immersive night-time light experience, a treetop walk and upgrades to the current summit lookout. The current Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is also slated for an upgrade. Visitors will be able to make the most of it by staying in the new nature retreat, with glamping spots.

exterior render of Mt Coot-tha tropical dome after renovation

A brand new dome, hiking trail and Mt Coot-tha nature retreat are coming.

For those keen on a little more adventure than the retreat can provide, a key feature of the proposed improvements is the Brisbane Wilderness Walking Trail. This 170-kilometre track would connect Mt Coot-tha to Mt Archer. Drawing inspiration from longer hiking trails like Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain and New Zealand’s West Coast Wilderness Trail, the trail will enjoy features to make hikers more comfortable along their journey, like bush huts, way-finding signage, composting toilets, camping sites and refurbished picnic areas.

“Brisbane is riding a wave of international popularity as a tourism destination and with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games coming, now is the time to start planning more to see and do in our city,” continued Schrinner.

“We have South Bank, the city, Howard Smith Wharves and Fortitude Valley for locals to enjoy and visitors to explore. I believe Mount Coot-tha presents an incredible opportunity for nature-based destinations and attractions, which is exactly what international visitors are looking for”.

a render of the inside Mt Coot-tha tropical dome after renovation

The current tropical dome will be transformed to match the likes of Singapore.

What can you do in Brisbane while you wait for the Mt Coot-tha glow up? Try these experiences and these delicious restaurants.

The best Brisbane art gallery experiences you can’t miss