Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

About the Gallery

Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), is Australia’s leading museum dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today’s artists.

The Museum celebrates the work of living artists, bringing exceptional exhibitions of international and Australian art to as many people as possible — welcoming over a million visitors each year — in the belief that art is for everyone. Located on one of the world’s most spectacular sites on the edge of Sydney Harbour, the MCA stands on a land of immense cultural and historical significance to the traditional owners of this place, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

Admission to the galleries, cafe and temporary exhibitions is free (admission fees apply to our major summer exhibition, the Sydney International Art Series).

Collection Strengths

The MCA Collection contains over 4,000 works by Australian artists that have been acquired since 1989, with a strong commitment to works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. The Museum collects across all art forms with holdings in painting, photography, sculpture, works on paper and moving image.

Programming Strengths

Our vision is to make contemporary art and ideas widely accessible to a range of audiences through the presentation of a diverse program of exhibitions and special events, both onsite and offsite. From major thematic exhibitions and solo surveys of established artists, to new work by emerging artists, touring exhibitions and community-led projects through C3West, we strive to cover the range and diversity of contemporary art.

Every day, in our National Centre for Creative Learning, we deliver programs using creative learning strategies to help audiences of all ages to engage with contemporary art, explore creativity and reflect on ideas and issues. It’s a space where change can take place, in all sorts of ways, to become rooms of wonder, activity, display and making.

Exhibition Spaces

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia has four gallery spaces. Level 1 North and South galleries, Level 2 gallery which is home to our MCA Collection exhibit, currently ‘MCA Collection: Perspectives on place’ and our Level 3 gallery space.