Sometime over the last decade, Australia got swept up in a full-scale art boom. From Tasmania to Perth, the country’s cluster of contemporary art spaces is world-class.

MONA exhibit, Hobart – Photo credit

Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart
655 Main Road, Berriedale, Hobart, TAS

Hobart’s Guggenheim Bilbao was the brainchild of eccentric professional gambler David Walsh and has put the city on the map for millions.

Where to stay: The Henry Jones Art Hotel Hobart

Hobart City Guide

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Parkes Place, Parkes, ACT

The National Gallery’s modern collection includes seminal works by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, David Hockney and Lucian Freud.

Where to stay: Aria Hotel Canberra

Canberra Contemporary Art Space
55 Ainslie Avenue, Braddon, ACT

The CCAS is a patron of experimental contemporary artwork that puts on over 40 projects yearly in the ACT.

Where to stay: Hyatt Canberra – A Park Hyatt Hotel

Canberra City Guide

Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney, NSW

While the Art Gallery of NSW is strong in Old Masters, the likes of Picasso, Braque and Kirchner also grace the walls.

Where to stay: Sir Stamford At Circular Quay Sydney Hotel

Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
140 George Street, The Rocks, NSW

The MCA, however, is soley about the modern avant-garde and is fresh off a $58 million expansion.

Where to stay: Park Hyatt Sydney

Sydney City Guide

Australian Centre For Contemporary Art, Melbourne
111 Sturt Street, Southbank, VIC

Melbourne’s Australian Centre For Contemporary Art is a work of sculpture as much as architecture. The Southbank museum rotates manifold exhibits and operates a swish art bar.

Where to stay: The Langham Hotel Melbourne

Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne
7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen, VIC

Part art commune, part atelier, part gallery space, Heide is physical evidence that Melbourne is a top-drawer cosmopolitan city.

Where to stay: Art Series The Cullen Hotel Melbournet

Melbourne City Guide

Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
Perth Cultural Centre, Perth, WA

Perth’s pillar museum puts explicit focus on indigenous contemporary art from the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Where to stay: The Richardson Hotel And Spa Perth

Perth City Guide

Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Stanley Street, South Bank, QLD

The Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, or GOMA, is a design-forward depot of contemporary art by star firm Architectus.

Where to stay: The Limes Hotel Brisbane

Brisbane City Guide

Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, Adelaide
14 Porter Street, Parkside, SA

Adelaide is flush with museums but the first name in contemporary art is the CAC of South Australia. The progressive facility publishes the influential Contemporary Visual Arts and Culture Broadsheet quarterly.

Where to stay: Quality Hotel Tiffins On The Park Adelaide

Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
North Terrace, Adelaide, SA

The grand Art Gallery of South Australia underwent extensive re-development in 1996 to add a contemporary art wing.

Where to stay: Adabco Boutique Hotel Adelaide

Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide
Hawke Building, City West Campus, University of South Australia, 55 North Terrace, Adelaide, SA

Just steps from the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Samstag includes works by in-state artists from the 1970s on.

Where to stay: The Sebel Playford Adelaide

Adelaide City Guide

Where do you go to see modern art in Australia? Let us know below.