Australian Contemporary Artists

Well-known Australian contemporary artists at a glance

1. Del Kathryn Barton: richly patterned figurative painting, winner of the Archibald Prize in 2008 and 2013.
2. Ben Quilty: thick, gestural portraits; Archibald winner in 2011 and an official war artist in Afghanistan.
3. Vincent Namatjira: in 2020 the first Aboriginal artist to win the Archibald Prize, and the great-grandson of Albert Namatjira.
4. Patricia Piccinini: hyperreal sculptures of imagined creatures; represented Australia at the 2003 Venice Biennale.
5. Ron Mueck: Melbourne-born sculptor of startlingly lifelike human figures at unsettling scale.
6. Tracey Moffatt: photography and film; represented Australia at the 2017 Venice Biennale.
7. Archie Moore: won the Golden Lion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, the first for Australia's national pavilion.
8. Fiona Hall: sculpture and installation from natural and found materials; Venice Biennale 2015.
9. Daniel Boyd: paintings veiled in fields of transparent dots that re-examine colonial history.
10. Cressida Campbell: painted woodblocks of quiet interiors and still life; a major National Gallery of Australia retrospective in 2022.
11. Shaun Gladwell: video and performance; Venice Biennale 2009.

Contemporary artists you can collectAsk about an artist

What counts as "contemporary" Australian art?

In galleries and auction houses, contemporary usually means art by living artists, or work made from roughly the 1970s onward, as distinct from the modernists of the mid-twentieth century. In practice it is less a style than a moment: abstraction, figuration, landscape, photography, sculpture and installation all sit side by side.

What connects much of it is a set of recurring concerns. Place and country remain central, as they have been since the Heidelberg School, but are now as likely to be abstracted, aerial or remembered as painted from life. First Nations artists have reshaped the field over the last fifty years, from Western Desert painting to urban artists working in photography and installation. And a strong vein of colour, pattern and decoration runs through Australian painting, from the tropics to the harbour.

For the generations before, see our guides to famous Australian artists and Australian landscape painters.

Where to see Australian contemporary art

Public galleries. The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia at Circular Quay, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Queensland Art Gallery's Gallery of Modern Art all hold and show major contemporary collections.

Prizes. The Archibald Prize for portraiture, shown each year at the Art Gallery of New South Wales alongside the Wynne and Sulman prizes, is the most watched event in Australian art. Regional and national prizes, from landscape to sculpture, are where many artists first build a reputation.

Sculpture outdoors. Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi and Cottesloe shows hundreds of contemporary works on the coast each year, and many of the sculptors below have exhibited there.

Commercial galleries. Galleries such as SOHO in Woollahra are where most contemporary art is actually bought: you can see works in person, talk to the people who know the artists, and arrange trials at home before you commit.

Collecting contemporary Australian art

Buy what you want to live with. The most reliable advice in collecting is still to buy work you love and will look at every day. A painting or sculpture you respond to will keep giving long after any trend has moved on.

Buy from the artist's gallery. Buying through the gallery that represents an artist gives you provenance, accurate information about editions and sizes, and access to commissions. For sculpture, ask about the edition size and whether the work is cast or fabricated by the artist.

Think about the space first. Contemporary work is often large. Measure the wall or floor space, check access for big pieces, and ask for a room visualisation or an in-home trial before you decide. See our living room, dining room and bedroom guides.

Commissions are normal. Many contemporary artists will paint or sculpt to a particular size or palette, which is common for design projects and new homes.

Australian contemporary artists FAQ

Who are the most famous contemporary Australian artists?

Names most often cited include Del Kathryn Barton, Ben Quilty, Vincent Namatjira, Patricia Piccinini, Ron Mueck, Tracey Moffatt, Archie Moore, Fiona Hall, Daniel Boyd and Cressida Campbell.

What is the difference between modern and contemporary art?

Modern art usually refers to work from the late nineteenth century to around the 1960s and 70s. Contemporary art is work from then to the present day, and in the art market it usually means work by living artists.

Where can I see contemporary art in Sydney?

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia at Circular Quay, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (including the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes each year), Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi, and commercial galleries such as SOHO Galleries in Woollahra.

Who are some contemporary Australian painters I can buy?

SOHO Galleries represents contemporary painters including Conchita Carambano, Yosi Messiah, Michael Whitehead, Henryk Lobaczewski, Zoe Ellenberg, Marilou Palazon, Phil Stallard and Peter Griffen.

Who are some contemporary Australian sculptors?

Contemporary Australian sculptors represented by SOHO include Greg Johns, Sonia Payes, Ben Storch, Michael Vaynman, Mela Cooke and Stephen Glassborow.

Can I see a work at home before buying?

Yes. SOHO offers room visualisations from a photo of your wall and in-home trials across greater Sydney.

Last updated: October 2026