Art at the House
To step inside the Sydney Opera House is to immerse yourself in a world of wonder and creativity. From the foyers to the glass walls to the paintings and the tapestries, the interiors have been designed and put together in a way that aspires to the promise of the building itself, a living sculpture on Sydney Harbour.
Tapestries at the House
The four tapestries that call the Opera House home reveal fascinating stories about the Opera House’s rich cultural heritage and design legacy.
Michael Nelson Jagamara and Possum Dreaming
Michael Nelson Jagamara’s monumental 10-metre painting Possum Dreaming was installed at the Opera House in 1998.
John Olsen at the Sydney Opera House
The artworks of John Olsen are celebrations of landscape and life.
Judy Cassab at the Joan Sutherland Theatre
Judy Cassab, born in Vienna in 1920, migrated after the war to Sydney, where she became an artist of singular talent and vision.
Brett Whiteley in the Green Room
Brett Whiteley (1939-1992) remains one of Australia’s most distinctive creative forces.
Sydney Opera House presents
Contemporary Art
Contemporary Art at the Sydney Opera House is guided by the promise that visual artists can challenge us to experience the world anew. With an emphasis on commissioning and exhibiting the artists of today, the twentieth century architectural icon is situated as a catalyst for visual artists to stage open-ended exhibitions, installations and projects that offer insights into the most pressing cultural, political and social questions of our society.
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Lighting of the Sails 2023: Life Enlivened by John Olsen and Curiious
We farewelled one of Australia’s most admired artists, Dr John Olsen AO OBE. We proudly paid tribute to Olsen’s extraordinary six-decade career in Lighting of the Sails: Life Enlivened when his works were animated and projected on the Opera House sails for Vivid Sydney in 2023.
A Possum Story
Jagamara traveled widely in the Northern Territory and began to paint as a second generation Papunya artist. I had heard a lot about him but first met him at the 1986 Biennale of Sydney: Origins, Originality, and Beyond. He’d already completed his beautifully balanced, layered Five Stories masterpiece painting by then. I remember him as warm, open and friendly and our travelling group bonded with him.
House Stories Season 1: The Tapestries
Design enthusiast, comedian and broadcaster Tim Ross takes us through the archives to unravel how the four Opera House tapestries came to be designed.
