Australian Art
The largest and most comprehensive of the Gallery's collections, it extends from the early colonial period to the mid-20th century, with sculpture and painting exhibited together. Nineteenth and twentieth century works are housed on opposite sides of the Entrance Court on Level 4.

 Yiribana Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Gallery
The Yiribana Gallery on Level 1 is Australia's most extensive permanent exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art.

 Asian Art
Housed on Level 3, the Asian Art collection highlights many facets of the diverse cultures of the Far East (China, Korea and Japan), India and South-East Asia, from pre-historic to modern times. 

International Art
The Gallery's European Art collection includes the James Fairfax Galleries of Old Masters on Level 4 (from the 15th century to the end of the 19th century) lead to an extensive collection of Victorian and Edwardian paintings. Level 2 Galleries are dedicated to International 20th Century art including International and Australian Contemporary art. 

Contemporary Art
This collection consists of major works by Australian and overseas artists extending from approximately the 1960s to the present. Exciting additions are regularly made to the collection, which can be seen on level 2.

 Photography
The Art Gallery of New South Wales is the only museum in the country with a dedicated photography program - photographs are always to be found on view. The Photography department is one of the oldest in an Australian art museum having been founded in 1975. The collection now consists of nearly 4000 works from the early days of photography to the most contemporary. While nearly 80% of the collection is Australian, these are good examples of international photography particularly in the areas of Pictorialism, European modernist works from the 1920s and 30s, and contemporary. 

Brett Whiteley Studio
The Brett Whiteley Studio at 2 Raper Street, Surry Hills, is a public museum and art gallery, featuring the work of Whiteley and others.