A contractor has been selected to build the Art Gallery for New South Wales Sydney Modern Project, which remains on track to be delivered within its $344 million budget.
Richard Crookes Construction will deliver the project, which has been designed by architects SANAA.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Sydney Modern Project will offer outstanding arts and cultural experiences to the community and international visitors.
“The Sydney Modern Project will almost double the current gallery space to show more of the State’s art collection, including more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks, as well as hosting major international exhibitions,” Berejiklian said.
A decommissioned WWII naval oil tanker, underground next to the Eastern Distributor, will be turned into a contemporary art space as part of the project.
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It will also include an outdoor Art Garden, a new entry plaza, rooftop art terraces and space for research and education.
NSW Arts Minister, Don Harwin, said the Sydney Modern Project is expected to increase gallery visitation to two million people a year and inject more than $1 billion into the NSW economy over 25 years.
“The project will create a series of interlocked pavilions that step down towards Woolloomooloo and Sydney Harbour, following the natural topography of the land,” he said.
“The NSW Government sincerely thanks the generous philanthropists who have raised more than $100 million to make this project possible.”
President of the Art Gallery of New South Wales Board of Trustees, David Gonski, said it is an exciting time for the state’s leading art museum.
“We are truly grateful for the NSW Government’s foresight in making such a significant public investment in the arts, and the very generous donors who have pledged support for the new building,” Gonski said.
Construction of the Sydney Modern Project is expected to begin in the coming months and be completed by 2022.