Originally, the Art Gallery of Western Australia was housed in the “Jubilee Building” along with the State Museum and Library. That building, opened in 1887 in honor of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, was, itself, originally intended to be only a library. Today’s main gallery building ( funded by monies generated from a mining boom) was not completed until 1977. Its first collections focused on craft works from Asia and India, with art ( including traditional and contemporary indigenous works covering the period between the 1820’s to the 1960’s) by European Australians coming later. The gallery’s administration building is housed in the former Police Quarters and Old Court House which had been built during the gold rush era of the 1890’s. The historical collection, known as the “Centenary Gallery” is housed here. Of the more than17,000 works of art in the permanent collections, around 3000 are considered indigenous pieces. Approximately 400,000 people visit the art gallery each year.
While we were there, the gallery was hosting a temporary exhibition on the life and art of Australian actor Heath Ledger (1979 - 2008). Ledger started in such films as “The Patriot”, “A Knight’s Tale”, and “Brokeback Mountain”. He had produced and directed a number of music videos prior to his untimely death at the age of 29 years.