The Art Gallery of NSW received half as many visitors as its Melbourne rival, the National Gallery of Victoria.
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The gallery counted a total of 1.28 million visitors in 2015-16 compared with the NGV's audience of 2,617,282. However, the AGNSW counted 134,759 visitors who attended other galleries hosting touring shows such as the Archibald Prize, including 56,915 visitors to the Art Gallery of Ballarat in Victoria.
Gallery spokeswoman Simone Bird said there was a slight increase in visitors to the AGNSW's main building in The Domain to 1.13 million, with another 14,295 people visiting the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills.
She also downplayed the importance placed on visitor numbers.
"Please note, however, that as a collecting institution, the management of the state's visual art collection as well as scholarship, education, regional outreach and a diverse exhibition program are of equal importance as visitor numbers," she said.
The gallery sold 322,051 tickets to paid exhibitions, with the 2015 Archibald Prize and summer blockbuster show of artworks from Scottish galleries each attracting 140,000 people.
More than 400,000 people attended the NGV's Andy Warhol|Ai Weiwei exhibition, making it the gallery's most popular ticketed show ever.
The annual report offered an upbeat assessment of the AGNSW's financial performance in 2015-16.
"The gallery was able to improve its financial position this financial year by curtailing discretionary costs, despite the impact of government efficiency dividend measures, and by increasing non-government revenue."
Yet total revenue from exhibitions, visitor services and benefaction fell from $33.8 million last financial year to $30.4 million in 2015-16.
The gallery received a total of $41.2 million in government grants – 58 per cent of its revenue of $71.6 million.
Its 212 – effective full-time – employees received an average annual pay packet of $110,000, with director Michael Brand banking a yearly salary of $441,200.
Another seven executives were paid between $174,500 and $313,050.
The gallery also spent more than $1.5 million on consultants in the 2016 financial year.
What is the planning process for the Sydney Modern project?
The controversial Sydney Modern building project continues to be a preoccupation of the gallery, with a number of senior employees travelling overseas to meet the project's architects in Tokyo and hit up potential donors.
Bird said the $14.8 million provided by the NSW government for planning covered travel costs related to the project.
"While the gallery has strong private support for the expansion, it is not in a position to announce the private funding at this stage," she said.
She said a development application was expected to be lodged in 2017.
The $450 million project is classified as a state significant development. A spokeswoman for the Department of Planning and Environment said the gallery was required to address a range of issues in an environmental impact statement that will be put on public exhibition.
The gallery will then be asked to respond to concerns about the building project raised by the community or government agencies.
"The department will then thoroughly assess the project, taking into consideration the EIS, submissions received and the applicant's RTS before making a decision or referring the project to the Minister for Planning," she said.
"The project would be referred to the minister for determination if there are more than 25 public objections, if the local council is against the project or the applicant has made a reportable political donation."
