Page 55 - Studio International - May June 1975

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Captain Cook Gallery

Sydney, Australia, 1969
Architects: Office of the Government

CONCEPT AND DESIGN impossible to maintain, and so separate Description taken from gallery
Before work commenced on the new entities have been given to each section, handsheet.
Captain Cook Gallery in 1969 the Art with settings designed for art of
Gallery of N.S.W. consisted of a different eras with special
basement level, as designed by the characteristics. This feeling has been
architect J. Horbury Hunt in 1883 and reinforced by having most of the
opened in 1885. interior of the old section repainted in
Because of a fixed budget, it was not rich low-key wall colours, while in the
possible to complete the further new section walls have been painted
buildings as originally designed in stages white or covered with a loomstate
from 1897-1909 and in 1969 with the linen fabric.
successfully planned raising of funds Attention has been given in decor and
and a Government subsidy, it was overall design to avoid detracting from
decided to complete the original concept the art objects on display, with all
of the ground plan area in terms of mass unnecessary elements being removed
scale and by using compatible materials, from the old section, and a geometrically
but adopting contemporary building simple discipline being applied to the new
methods. gallery. The duality of design will
Internally, the introduction of provide visitors with a great variety of
functional requirements made the visual experiences, and emphasises the
original Beaux Arts style of architecture broad time spectrum expressed by the
collection as a whole.

Library lounge
2 Extension looking east
3 View of extension from original building
4 First floor plan
5 Ground floor plan
6 Basement plan

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