The Gallery houses many works by significant artists, including works by Sidney Nolan, William Dobell, Russell Drysdale and Peter Preston it is the custodian of a substantial public art collection.
The division was created in 1984 and is named for Sir William Dobell, the painter.
He first came to public prominence in the 1943 case over the artistic merits of William Dobell's Archibald Prize-winning portrait of the painter Joshua Smith; a losing entrant claimed the picture was caricature, not portraiture.
The artist Sir William Dobell was at one time responsible for the camouflage of the base.
It is also well known as the former home of artist William Dobell.
Blundell painted works with the style of, among others, Australian artists Charles Blackman, Arthur Boyd, William Dobell, Russell Drysdale, Sidney Nolan, Lloyd Rees, Arthur Streeton, Elioth Gruner, Brett Whiteley and also Claude Monet.
Among private and other public holdings, examples of Dobell's work are exhibited in the Newcastle Region Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
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William Dobell won the 1943 Archibald Prize (awarded January 1944) with his 'caricature' portrait of Joshua Smith (artist).