The Art Gallery is the main cultural institution in Geelong. Today, the gallery has about 5,000 art objects in its collection. The gallery building itself is part of the Geelong Cultural District with the nearby Performing Arts Centre, Court House, City Library and the Cultural and Historical Centre.
In 1895, members of the Geelong Progress League petitioned the state government to establish an Art Gallery in the city. Their petition was granted in May 1900 when the Art Gallery Association received permission to use three walls of the Town Hall to display paintings. Thus began the life of the gallery. Among the first acquisitions to the collection was Frederick McCubbin's 1890 painting, "Grave in a Bush," purchased for $210. The gallery soon moved to the Free Library building on Moorabool Street.
The current Art Gallery building was officially opened in 1915. It was located next to Johnstone Park between City Hall and the former fire station (now the Regional Library). The building originally housed a covered gallery and lobby overlooking the park and the Hitchcock Gallery. In 1928, the Henry Douglas Gallery was opened and in 1937, the Richardson Gallery was opened. With the opening of the McPhillimy Gallery in 1938, the main entrance to the building moved to Little Malop Street.
Today, the Art Gallery's collection includes an outstanding collection of Australian and European art from the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to paintings and watercolours, there are 18th and 19th century English porcelain, art ceramics, colonial silverware, works by contemporary Australian artists, prints, sculptures and ceramics. Of particular interest is a collection of paintings depicting mid-19th century Geelong.
