Heralded in 1888 as 'the first permanent Art Gallery in the Dominion', Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki remains the largest art institution in New Zealand, with a collection numbering over 12,500 works. These include major holdings of New Zealand historic, modern and contemporary art, and outstanding works by Māori and Pacific Island artists, as well as European painting, sculpture and print collections ranging in date from 1376 to the present day.

Today the Gallery occupies two buildings adjacent to Albert Park in central Auckland.

The Main Gallery, designed by Melbourne architects John H. Grainger and Charles A. D'Ebro in 'French Château style' opened in 1887 as Auckland City's Free Public Library and Municipal Offices. The part of the building devoted to the Gallery opened a year later on 17 February 1888. By its centenary the Art Gallery had taken over the entire building which was by now considerably enlarged, the City Offices and the Library having moved to new premises nearby.

The New Gallery, across the road from the main building, opened in October 1995, due to the generosity of the Auckland Contemporary Art Trust. The building was originally designed as a telephone exchange and was extensively remodelled into contemporary art galleries by architects David Mitchell and Julie Stout.