the gallery is renowned for its collections of australian art, including indigenous australian and colonial art, from about 1800 onwards. the collection is strong in nineteenth-century works (including silverware and furniture) and in particular australian impressionist (often referred to as heidelberg school) paintings. its twentieth-century modernist art collection includes the work of many female artists, and there is a large collection of south australian art, which includes 2,000 drawings by hans heysen and a large collection of photographs.