QAGOMA is home to more than 20 000 artworks from Australia and around the world, in every imaginable medium. The Collection is a cultural record shaped by the Gallery’s history and an expression of its aspirations to connect people with the enduring power of art and creativity.
The Gallery’s globally significant collection of contemporary art from Australia, Asia and the Pacific has been developed over more than 30 years as part of the research and relationships built through The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.
Each work that enters the Collection is considered for how it might contribute to conversations between works, and enrich the visitor experience.
Artistic expressions from the world's oldest continuing culture are drawn from all regions of the country in the Gallery's holdings of Indigenous Australian artworks, especially the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and experiences in Queensland.
The work of Australian artists has been collected by the Gallery since its foundation in 1895. These works date from the colonial period onwards, with rich holdings of paintings and sculptures by Australian expatriate artists living in the United Kingdom and France at the turn of the twentieth century. The Australian art collection tracks developments in the modern movement of the 1950s and 1960s, including abstractions and assemblages and conceptual/post-object art of the late 1960s and 1970s.
QAGOMA’s Contemporary Asian art collection is among the most extensive of its kind in the world, comprising over 1000 works from the late 1960s to the present which shed light on modern historical developments, current environments of social change and evolving models of artistic production. Our contemporary Asian holdings have been shaped by the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art since 1993, reflecting the diversity of art-making contexts in the region and including major new commissioned works.
The Gallery's collection of contemporary Pacific art is the broadest in Australia. With the establishment of the Asia Pacific Triennial (APT) in the early 1990s, the Gallery recognised the importance of actively developing the Pacific collection.
The Gallery's collection of works from Europe, Africa and North and South America includes early European paintings and works on paper, with an emphasis on the Northern Renaissance; British art from the late-18th to late-19th century, including Victorian and Edwardian painting; and modern European and American painting, sculpture, photography and prints from the late 19th century to the second half of the twentieth century.
R. Godfrey Rivers, England/Australia 1858-1925 / Under the jacaranda 1903 / Oil on canvas / 143.4 x 107.2 cm / Purchased 1903 / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / View full image
Artists & Artworks
Looking for an artwork or artist from our Collection?
Find out more about the work of our conservation specialists, the depth of our Asia Pacific research, or explore the extensive collection of art resources in our Research Library.
The Australian Centre of Asia Pacific Art (ACAPA) examines the artists and artwork of QAGOMA's focus region and holds an extensive and ever-growing Asia Pacific resource archive in our Library.
QAGOMA's Research Library has an extensive collection of art resources that can be enjoyed by visitors to the Gallery. We hold over 50 000 books and exhibition catalogues and close to 250 current journal titles.
Inspired by Norse mythology, Asgard is home to a proud intergalactic warrior race, first seen in Thor 2011 and later in Thor: The Dark World 2013. The Asgardians have been responsible for keeping the peace across the interconnected realms scattered throughout the stars, known as the Nine Realms. Ruled by Odin, King of Asgard, the realm of Asgard was home to Queen Frigga and sons Thor and Loki, until dynastic rivalry saw the family torn apart and Loki’s animosity spill across the universe, wreaking havoc on Earth.
The ‘Asgard: Protector of the Nine Realms’ room in Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ celebrates the heart of Asgardian power – the Throne Room of Asgard. It features major set pieces from the forthcoming Thor: Ragnarok 2017, and costumes and weaponry from Thor: The Dark World 2013.
The Nine Realms refers to a group of planets, cosmically distant from each other yet connected by the branches of Yggdrasil, the metaphysical ‘world tree’. At the head of tree is Asgard, ruled by a god-like people, including Odin and Thor, who aim to protect the other realms and the universe from evil forces. Other realms include Jotunheim, land of the Frost Giants; Svartalfheim and its Dark Elves; Midgard – the Asgardian name for Earth; and Niflheim, the location of Hel, where the dead of the Nine Realms dwell.
Asgardian throne room
Asgardian life
Situated on opposite sides of the throne are two significant elements of Asgardian life – its history as detailed in the Book of Yggdrasil, depicting The Birth of the Nine Realms; and The Observatory, a gateway between Asgard and the rest of the universe. Gatekeeper of Asgard, Heimdall’s costume, sword and dais are also on display.
Heimdall, a loyal, all-seeing and all-hearing Asgardian, is the Watcher of Worlds. His never-ending vigil over the Nine Realms sees him posted at an observatory at the entrance to the Bifrost Bridge, which is an Einstein-Rosen bridge, or wormhole, that connects Asgard to the other realms, including Earth. His sword, called Hofund, is the key to opening the Bridge.
DELVE DEEPER INTO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE and WATCH OUR BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEOS
Go behind the scenes of ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ to experience more than 500 unique objects from your favourite films, never-before-seen iconic objects which offer a glimpse into the work of production designers, storyboarding and pre‑visualisation artists, costume and prop designers, and visual effects artists alongside the original comic books which introduced the characters and influenced the films.
TICKETS CINEMA | EXHIBITION | UP LATE / BUY THE PUBLICATION
Purchase tickets for ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe‘ online or at the ticket desk 10.00am-4.00pm daily, and until 8.00pm Wednesday. ‘Marvel’ film screenings and ‘Marvel’ Up Late are separate ticketed events.
‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ has been organised by QAGOMA in collaboration with Marvel Entertainment. Experience ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ only showing at GOMA in Brisbane until 3 September 2017.
Amanda Slack-Smith is exhibition curator ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’ and Associate Curator, Australian Cinémathèque, QAGOMA
