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Daily 10am-6pm; free; free tours Mon-Fri 11am & 2pm, Sat & Sun noon & 1.30pm; www.mca.com.au. Circular Quay CityRail or ferry. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) on Circular Quay West, with another entrance on George Street (no. 140), was developed out of a bequest to Sydney University by the art collector John Power in the 1940s to purchase international contemporary art. The growing collection finally found a permanent home in 1991 in the former Maritime Services Building, provided for peppercorn rent by the State Government. The striking Art Deco-style 1950s building is now dedicated to international twentieth-century art, with an eclectic approach encompassing lithographs, sculpture, film, video, drawings, paintings and Aboriginal art, mostly shown in themed exhibitions. Surprisingly, the museum's permanent collection of 1600 works, including pieces by Keith Haring, Bridget Riley, Jasper Johns, David Hockney and Jean Tinguely, is mostly kept in storage, though a selection is shown in special exhibitions twice a year. The museum's superbly sited, if expensive, cafe (Mon-Fri 11am-4.30pm, Sat & Sun 9am-4.30pm) has outdoor tables overlooking the waterfront. Since John Power left no recurrent funding, the museum now has to raise ninety percent of its own funding and has been financially troubled since opening; the free entry is courtesy of corporate sponsorship. Sydney Council is considering a AU$59-million rescue package for the redevelopment of the museum; part of the plan involves the addition of a new wing to house a Moving Images Centre. If the plan goes ahead, the museum will close for two years
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