Opening the world of art to you

From City Scene, published on 17 February, 2008

Design of the Main gallery.

Main Gallery: The multi-million dollar development will create an impressive visitor attraction, as well as preserving an important heritage building.

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki will join the ranks of major art museums on the world stage with its upcoming restoration and expansion.

The council received approval from the Environment Court to proceed with the development in December. The main gallery, one of our city's most beautiful historic buildings, will close for development on Friday, 29 February. This project will secure Auckland's place as home to New Zealand's pre-eminent public art gallery and enable the gallery to meet increasingly stringent international lending requirements, host more ambitious exhibitions and display more of its 14,000-work collection.

Mayor of Auckland city, Hon. John Banks says, "The development signals an exciting future for the gallery as it significantly expands the role it can play in building and defining Auckland's cultural and community identity".

Changes include new learning and classroom spaces, an expanded auditorium, a larger research library, members lounge and dedicated function facilities. The development will also transform public space outside the gallery, with water features, an informal amphitheatre and sculptures to encourage the connection between the gallery and Albert Park. Auckland Art Gallery director Chris Saines says, "A modernised and extended gallery enables us to be more innovative and ambitious in opening up the world of the visual arts to a new generation of New Zealanders. We can display our key works more often and, with increased and more flexible spaces, we can enrich the story of art told through our collections and exhibitions programmes."

The main gallery will be open until 10pm from Friday, 22 February to Sunday, 24 February during the Auckland Lantern Festival. Don't miss your chance to see Love Chief, A Lighter Touch - 19th and 20th Century European Art, and Hei Konei Mai: We'll Meet Again, before the building closes for development.