Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the home of the visual arts in Aotearoa New Zealand. Open daily, 10am–5pm. It dates from the 10th–12th century.
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Auckland Art Gallery’s doors opened for the first time on 17 February 1888. Sir George Grey’s gift formed the core of the early collection, and we shared the building with Auckland’s Free Public Library. From these beginnings focusing on European and British art, we now have more than 17,500 works in the collection, and our redeveloped building provides purpose-built spaces for regularly changing

exhibitions. Auckland Art Gallery has grown its collection of artworks with acquisitions, gifts, bequests and long-term loans. Major collection donors have included James Mackelvie, who with Sir George Grey was a founding patron, and in the present day, the Chartwell Trust and Julian and Josie Robertson. The collection includes major holdings of New Zealand historic, modern and contemporary art. These artworks plot a visual history of New Zealand, beginning with the first contact between Māori and European explorers in the 1600s. Outstanding works by Māori and Pacific Island artists are a powerful feature of our holdings, and the international painting, sculpture and print collections connect us with the world beyond the Pacific. The diversity of mediums and artistic practices in the collection also continues to grow. Our oldest work of art is a sandstone figure from the walls of a Hindu temple in North India. And our newest is likely to be a commissioned artwork we are creating with an artist right now. Taken together, our holdings are widely considered to comprise New Zealand’s pre-eminent public art collection.

Relaxed hours are launching at the Gallery 😌✨🎧Join us every Tuesday from 3pm to 5pm for a lower-stimulation environment ...
06/09/2026

Relaxed hours are launching at the Gallery 😌✨🎧

Join us every Tuesday from 3pm to 5pm for a lower-stimulation environment to explore the Gallery.

During relaxed hours, the Gallery offers a calmer environment for visitors who prefer less-crowded galleries, lower sensory stimulation and quiet spaces to pause. Our friendly Gallery team are available to help, and extra accessibility resources are available at the front desk.

Relaxed hours are open to all and are suitable to anyone who feels more comfortable visiting the Gallery with less stressors. This may include disabled visitors, neurodivergent visitors, people with sensory needs, and whānau or support people.

🔗 Head to the ‘events’ link in bio for more info.

03/09/2026

‘Art can be so scary for people.’ Judy Millar talks painting, fear and what happens when we spend time with it.

Tap the link in our bio to view the full video.

August was a buuusy month at the Gallery! Some of our favourite moments: 👠 Karen Walker brought the runway to the Galler...
02/09/2026

August was a buuusy month at the Gallery! Some of our favourite moments:

👠 Karen Walker brought the runway to the Gallery for (image #1 photography by )

🎨 We celebrated the opening of the ‘Pat Hanly Creativity Awards’ student exhibition

🫶 150+ zinemakers shared their amazing work at Auckland Zinefest

🩵 It was the final month of ‘Forever Tomorrow: Chinese Art Now’

🌙 Thousands of you explored the Gallery after-hours at our Open Late event

Thank you for sharing your Gallery moments with us – we love seeing your pics! Don't forget to tag us Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki when you next visit for a chance to be featured.

01/09/2026

Something big is taking shape 👀

'Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith' coming soon. Tickets on sale Monday 7 September. 

The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Musée national Picasso-Paris.

Your guide to what’s on in September at the Gallery.This month we’re celebrating Te Wiki o te reo Māori with a series of...
31/08/2026

Your guide to what’s on in September at the Gallery.

This month we’re celebrating Te Wiki o te reo Māori with a series of free events, relaxed hours are launching and more! Swipe for the full line-up ➡️

More info including timings via the ‘events’ link in bio.

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is saddened by the death of groundbreaking Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (1929–2026). K...
27/08/2026

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is saddened by the death of groundbreaking Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama (1929–2026).

Kusama lived an extraordinary life, influenced by hallucinations she experienced from an early age, which later fed into the iconic polka-dot world she would create. Departing Japan for the United States of America in 1958, she became renowned for her avant-garde film work, painting and later soft sculpture which was infiltrated with vast fields of dots. Her life’s work is celebrated today for its distinction and adventurous scope of vision.

From 9 December 2017 to 2 April 2018, the Gallery hosted Kusama’s participatory installation 'the obliteration room' in Te Aka Matua | the Creative Learning Centre. During its 115-day presentation, the installation attracted an incredible 149,804 visitors making it one of the most visited installation pieces on display. The work captured the imaginations of visitors, inviting those to transform an entirely white domestic space with colourful dot stickers.

More recently, the Gallery displayed Kusama’s 2005 work 'The Passing Winter' as part of the exhibition 'Light from Tate: 1700s to Now'.

Kusama will be remembered for her bold, risk-taking and singular vision, which challenged conventions and transformed how audiences experience contemporary art.

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Image credit: Yayoi Kusama, 'the obliteration room', 2002–present (installation view: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, 2017–8), Collaboration between Yayoi Kusama and Queensland Art Gallery. Commissioned Queensland Art Gallery. Gift of the artist through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation 2012. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery, Australia.

26/08/2026

Less doomscrolling. More gallery-going 🎨✨

Research suggests that looking at artworks in a gallery setting can help us shift out of stress mode and into a more regulated state, similar to what happens during meditation or deep sleep.

If your winter hibernation has included a little too much doomscrolling, consider this your sign to swap your feed for a screen-free reset at the Gallery.

Visit us 10am–5pm daily. Free entry.

22/08/2026

Slow down, switch off and enjoy a moment to yourself. The Gallery is the perfect place to take a break.

Start planning your next visit via link in bio 🔗

🌟 Forever Tomorrow: Chinese Art Now 🌟Final weekend. Entry $10. Link in bio for more info.
22/08/2026

🌟 Forever Tomorrow: Chinese Art Now 🌟

Final weekend. 

Entry $10. Link in bio for more info.

21/08/2026

It’s your last chance to visit ‘Forever Tomorrow: Chinese Art Now’ before it closes this Sunday 💫

With 67 standout artworks to explore, you might be wondering where to start. Our Gallery Assistants are here to help!

In this series, they’re sharing the works they have personally connected with and why they think it deserves a little more of your time and attention.

Here’s Jake with his must-see work.

🗓️ ‘Forever Tomorrow: Chinese Art Now’ closes Sunday 23 August. 
🎟️ Final weeks special – tickets just $10! Book your tickets via the link in bio or at our front desk.

       

——
🎨 Zhang Peili, ‘Uncertain Pleasure II’, 1996, six-channel VHS tape transferred to digital video (colour, silent) and CRT monitor. M+, Hong Kong © Zhang Peili

Address

Corner Kitchener And Wellesley Streets
Auckland
1010

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+6493077700

Website

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