Art Gallery of Western Australia: Visitor Guide

The Art Gallery of Western Australia, usually called AGWA, is in the Perth Cultural Centre beside the city centre and Northbridge. General admission is free, with usual opening hours of 10am to 5pm daily. The collection includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, Western Australian artists, and Australian and international painting and sculpture.

Allow around two hours for a first visit, or longer for a tour or children's activities. This is our planning estimate; you can also make a shorter visit around one exhibition.

Visitor information checked on 24 September 2026. All times are Perth local time (AWST).

AGWA at a glance

Opening hours, admission and bookings

AGWA's current visitor information lists 10am to 5pm every day, with closures on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Older advice that the whole gallery closes on Tuesdays does not match these published hours.

General admission is free and donations are voluntary. Check the individual listing before attending a special exhibition, performance or workshop: charges and booking requirements can differ. The AGWA FAQ confirms that some special exhibitions have an entry charge.

One Tuesday detail needs checking if you are visiting with children: the Cranky Pants exhibition page still lists Tuesday closure. Its specific hours are covered in the family section below.

What to see at the gallery

The State Art Collection contains more than 18,000 works. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and Western Australian artists are central to it, alongside strengths in twentieth-century Australian and British painting and sculpture. Displays change, so the collection catalogue is not a promise that a particular work will be on the wall.

These are useful starting points from the programme checked on 24 September 2026. Follow the exhibition links for updates before making a special trip.

I AM: Aboriginal art from the collection

I AM is an ongoing, free collection display bringing together First Nations artists from across Australia, with a strong Western Australian presence. Works explore Country, culture, history and lived experience. The selection rotates, giving returning visitors a reason to look again.

Attachment Styles

Attachment Styles: Modes of Belonging in Modern and Contemporary Art runs 13 December 2025 to 2 May 2027, with free admission. It considers relationships between people, communities and their surroundings through art from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries.

AGWA lists Frederick McCubbin's Down on his luck among its highlights, alongside work by artists including Hans Heysen, Arthur Streeton and John Longstaff. If seeing one particular painting is the reason for your visit, confirm its availability with the gallery because displays can change.

Join a gallery tour

AGWA advertises free daily public walk-in tours. Check What's On for the day's meeting time and tour topic rather than assuming there is one fixed daily departure.

For an organised group, use the separate tours and talks booking information. AGWA asks for at least four weeks' notice for booked group tours. A guided visit can be a useful way to choose a few works to spend time with instead of trying to cover every room.

The rooftop and cafe

The AGWA rooftop has an outdoor sculpture walk and views across the city and Cultural Centre. Its published public hours are 10am to 5pm daily. Add it to your daytime gallery visit if conditions suit an outdoor stop.

Planned rooftop works: AGWA announces closure of the rooftop and rooftop bar from 7 January to late February 2027, with the finishing date to be confirmed. Check the official rooftop page before a visit during that period.

The rooftop bar is currently closed. AGWA announces a return in spring/summer 2027–28, without an exact opening date on the page checked. Do not plan around evening drinks or a sunset bar session until new public opening hours are confirmed.

For a daytime break, the separate AGWA Cafe and Bar is listed as open 10am to 4pm daily, serving drinks, toasties and sweet items. Food and drink must stay out of the exhibition galleries.

Getting there during Cultural Centre works

The Perth Cultural Centre rejuvenation project is affecting pedestrian routes around the precinct. AGWA remains open, but older maps and photographs may show paths that are no longer available. Check the government's current access information before travelling, particularly if you need a step-free route.

By train: arrive at Perth Station and follow the route from the station concourse across the Roe Street pedestrian overpass towards AGWA. The government's access guide describes this approach for people using station lifts.

By bus: the free Blue CAT serves the WA Museum Boola Bardip stop on Beaufort Street. Use the current access map for the remaining walk through the precinct and check Transperth's Journey Planner for your travel date.

By car: nearby paid options include the Cultural Centre and State Library car parks. Check City of Perth Parking for current charges, opening hours and accessible bays. For a taxi or assisted drop-off, confirm the current route with AGWA instead of relying on pre-construction street access.

Allow extra arrival time while works continue. More transport options are covered in our getting around Perth guide.

Accessibility and quieter visits

AGWA's accessibility page provides a sensory and access map, a visual story and details of visitor support. Check these alongside the precinct access information, since the route to the building and facilities inside it are separate parts of the visit.

The gallery lists lifts to the first floor, Centenary Galleries and rooftop, accessible toilets, large-print labels and noise-cancelling headphones available from reception. Manual wheelchairs, a walking frame and an electric buggy are available free of charge. Booking ahead is advised; the electric buggy needs at least 24 hours' notice for charging.

AGWA accepts Companion Cards for eligible companion admission to paid exhibitions. Call 08 9492 6601 if you need to arrange equipment or check a particular route. For a lower-sensory family activity, see the advertised Cranky Pants Quiet Hour below.

Visiting AGWA with children

Gallery 09 hosts interactive projects designed for different ages, including adults. Families can also explore the wider collection; a manageable starting point is to choose a few works together and leave time for an activity or break.

The free exhibition Bruce Asbestos: Cranky Pants runs 30 March 2026 to 25 April 2027. It uses costume, character and catwalk activities to explore identity and self-expression.

Check Tuesday access before going specifically for this exhibition. Its page lists 10am to 5pm Wednesday to Monday, closed Tuesdays, even though general gallery information says daily opening. The same exhibition page advertises a 3pm to 4pm Quiet Hour. Confirm the session for your chosen day, especially Tuesday.

School and community groups need a confirmed workshop booking to use Gallery 09 exhibitions. A parents' room is available on the ground floor, and AGWA welcomes breastfeeding throughout the gallery.

Bags, photography and practical tips

• Use the free cloakroom. All backpacks, including small ones, must be stored, along with large bags, suitcases, shopping bags and umbrellas. Ask reception about essential medication or other items you need to carry.
• Check photography signs. Non-flash personal photography is generally allowed, with restrictions for some displays. Ask AGWA before publishing images or using them commercially; taking a photograph does not automatically give you reproduction rights.
• Keep food and drinks outside the galleries. Plan snacks for the cafe or a break outside.
• Bring a light layer. The climate-controlled exhibition rooms can feel cool.

See the visitor rules and photography guidance in the FAQ for more detail.

A little gallery history

AGWA was founded in 1895. Its current main gallery opened in 1979, so the institution is older than the modern building most visitors first recognise. The gallery precinct also includes the former Perth Police Courts building, associated with the Centenary Galleries. AGWA's history and architecture overview explains how these buildings became part of the gallery.

Making a half-day of it

For a simple first visit, choose one collection display, spend time with a few works in a temporary exhibition, then finish with the rooftop or a cafe break. If a tour interests you, use its start time to organise the rest of your visit. Families may prefer to start with Gallery 09 and keep the collection visit shorter.

The Perth Cultural Centre also contains WA Museum Boola Bardip, the State Library and PICA. Choose one nearby stop rather than trying to fit the whole precinct into an afternoon, and check its own hours and admission conditions. Northbridge is another option for a meal afterwards.

Most of an AGWA visit is indoors, making it a useful option for a rainy day in Perth. Keep the rooftop flexible if the weather is poor. For more galleries elsewhere in the city, browse our Perth art galleries guide.