Art Gallery of South Australia

The Art Gallery of South Australia was established in 1881 and has an impressive collection of Aboriginal art, including many non-traditional works with overtly political content; major works by the Western Desert school of Aboriginal artists are on permanent display in Gallery 7. There's a fine selection of colonial art, too, and it's interesting to trace the development of Australian art from its European-inspired beginnings up to the point where the influence of the local light, colours and landscape begin to take over.

The collection of twentieth-century Australian art includes works by Sidney Nolan, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington-Smith. There's also a large collection of twentieth-century British art, including paintings by Roger Fry and Vanessa Bell (Virginia Woolf's sister). The gallery has an excellent bookshop and coffee shop too.