Museum of Contemporary Art

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) is dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today’s artists.

Located on one of the world’s most spectacular sites on the edge of Sydney Harbour, the Museum of Contemporary Art opened its doors to the public in 1991. Established through a bequest by Australian expatriate artist John Power (1881-1943), who left his personal fortune to the University of Sydney to inform and educate Australians about international contemporary visual art, the MCA is dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting contemporary art.

The vision of the founding Director Leon Paroissien and Chief Curator Bernice Murphy was manifest from its earliest years – a commitment to innovative programming with ground-breaking exhibitions of contemporary art from Australia, the Asia Pacific region and around the world. A strong emphasis on making the MCA a museum that engages artists with audiences led to a programme of significant solo shows by Australian and international artists as well as thematic and group exhibitions. The MCA is a major partner of the Biennale of Sydney. The MCA also sought to engage with audiences beyond the building by developing a programme of touring exhibitions and C3West, a collaboration with galleries and non-arts partners in Western Sydney.