The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia has two buildings: NGV International and NGV Australia. The former houses a collection of over 70,000 pieces, including ancient and contemporary art from around the world, while the latter features Australian art and has a collection of over 20,000 objects. The gallery offers special exhibitions and educational programs for all ages. The NGV International building is an architectural masterpiece designed by Sir Roy Grounds.
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is an art museum in Melbourne, Australia comprising two buildings: NGV International on St Kilda Road and NGV Australia in Federation Square. NGV Australia is home to the gallery’s Australian art collection, with most of it on display in NGV International. This is Australia’s first and oldest public art gallery, established in 1861 when Victoria was a self-governing British colony. An art school operated in association with the National Gallery of Victoria from 1867 to 1910, producing leading national artists. Victoria refers to the Australian state where the museum is located.
The majority of the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection of over 70,000 pieces is housed in NGV International. The collection includes everything from ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman pieces to contemporary European masterpieces. Indigenous Pacific art is featured in the Oceanic Gallery, while Asian and Mesoamerican art each have dedicated spaces. Visitors can explore sculptures, paintings and photographs as well as textiles, ceramics and glass. Multimedia, works on paper and furniture are also part of the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.
NGV Australia features Australian art on display in around 20 rooms. This part of the National Gallery of Victoria was opened in 2002 and its collection of over 20,000 objects is the largest in the country. Due to space constraints, only around 800 pieces are allowed on public display. One of NGV Australia’s most famous pieces is a triptych called ‘The Pioneer’ painted by Frederick McCubbin in 1904. The Aboriginal works are featured alongside those of other Australian artists such as Tom Roberts and Sidney Nolan, giving the visitor an overview of the diverse works mainland artistic production.
Some of the highlights of the international collection include a bronze cast of Balzac by Auguste Rodin, photographs by Man Ray and portraits by El Greco. There are also works by JMW Turner, Francis Bacon and Edouard Manet. Pablo Picasso’s 1937 painting “Weeping Woman” was stolen from the National Gallery of Victoria in 1986 by a group calling themselves the Australian Cultural Terrorists. They asked for more public funding for the arts, but within two weeks the painting was left in a railway station locker, where it was recovered intact.
The NGV International building itself is an architectural masterpiece designed by Sir Roy Grounds. It first opened in 1968 and then underwent a four-year renovation under the leadership of Mario Bellini that finished in 2003. Some of the building’s distinctive features include the Great Hall’s stained glass ceiling by Leonard French , a cascading window and a large entrance arch .
In addition to the permanent collection, the NGV offers special exhibitions throughout the year. A recent exhibit highlighted desert art. Other past exhibitions include a retrospective of the work of Gustave Moreau; art by Klimt, Schiele and others produced in 1900 in Vienna; and British watercolors.
Like many public art galleries, the National Gallery of Victoria is committed to educating the public about art and providing space for budding artists to hone their craft. The gallery space is reserved for children and families to make art together alone or during workshops. Offsite outreach programs ensure that people living in remote areas can still access and enjoy the harvest. The gallery’s research library is accessible by appointment.
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