The Auckland Art Gallery’s collection began in the 1880s when two prominent philanthropists – James Mackelvie and former governor George Grey – gifted an extensive number of manuscripts and art to the city. When a French Renaissance style building was finished in 1887, it housed the gallery plus the municipal library and city council offices. As the museum’s collection grew into more than 15,000 works by New Zealand and international artists, the gallery’s footprint was expanded in 1971 and again in 2011. This is the new entrance for Toi o Tāmaki – the gallery’s Mâori name. Schedule plenty of time to explore the four floors of modern, contemporary and Māori art exhibited on four floors. Admission for New Zealanders is free.
