November is a good month to see Sydney’s art scene across museums, galleries and public space. The Art Gallery of New South Wales presents major exhibitions on Sidney Nolan and contemporary drawing, while the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia brings together Australian and international contemporary art. Sculpture by the Sea also closes in early November, making the first days of the month a good time to visit its coastal route.
Sidney Nolan at the Art Gallery of NSW
Nolan: Origins is on view at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until February 7, 2027. The exhibition brings together more than 150 works from Sidney Nolan’s formative Australian years, before he moved to the United Kingdom in 1953.
It includes Nolan’s celebrated 1946–47 Ned Kelly series, alongside paintings connected to St Kilda, the Wimmera, K’gari, Central Australia and north-eastern Victoria. The exhibition traces how Nolan’s encounters with place, history and mythology shaped a distinctive visual language that changed Australian art.
For visitors interested in Australian modernism, landscape and national storytelling, this is the key exhibition to see in Sydney this month.
Contemporary drawing at the Dobell Biennial
Near at Hand: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2026 is also on view at the Art Gallery of NSW until March 7, 2027. The free exhibition brings together 11 artists from across Australia.
The biennial explores drawing as an intimate and immediate practice. Its artists work with materials ranging from pencil, pastel and watercolour to light and thread, extending drawing beyond paper into installation and three-dimensional work.
This is a particularly strong exhibition for anyone interested in process, mark-making and the quieter side of contemporary Australian art.
Contemporary art at the MCA
At the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Connections: MCA x Tate brings together contemporary art from the collections of MCA Australia and Tate Modern. The exhibition places Australian artists in dialogue with international work, making it a useful introduction to contemporary art across different geographies and media.
The MCA is also presenting Ai Weiwei: Mushrooms, a monumental installation calling for peace. Alongside it, Robyn Kahukiwa: My Ancestors Are Always With Me presents the work of the Sydney-born artist, whose practice connects painting, storytelling and Māori cultural narratives.
For a contemporary-art-focused visit, the MCA is the best single destination in November.
Sculpture by the Sea
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi runs until November 2. The free outdoor exhibition transforms the two-kilometre Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk into an open-air sculpture park, with more than 100 works by Australian and international artists.
Now in its 30th year, the exhibition includes site-specific works installed along cliffs, beaches and parkland. It is free to visit, though weekends can be busy; weekday mornings are generally quieter.
If you are in Sydney at the start of November, this is a unique opportunity to see contemporary sculpture in one of the city’s most spectacular public settings.
More exhibitions and events
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Kaori Endo: Sleeping in the 22nd Century opens at the Art Gallery of NSW on November 7.
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Dream Horse is on view at the City of Sydney Creative Studios.
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The Art Gallery of NSW hosts a guided tour of Nolan: Origins on November 11, focused on drought and regeneration.
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The gallery also presents an audio-description tour of Nolan: Origins on November 25 and an Auslan tour on November 29.
How to plan your visit
For a focused art day, start at the Art Gallery of New South Wales with Nolan: Origins and Near at Hand. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours until 10 p.m. on Wednesdays.
For a second visit, head to the MCA for Connections: MCA x Tate, Ai Weiwei: Mushrooms and Robyn Kahukiwa. If you are in Sydney before November 2, add Sculpture by the Sea for a different experience of contemporary art in public space.
