NGV International
About the Museum
The National Gallery of Victoria is the oldest and most visited art museum in Australia, founded in 1861, and NGV International on St Kilda Road is the home of its international collection. The building, a bluestone fortress with a water wall for a front door, was designed by Roy Grounds and opened in 1968; it was extensively remodelled by the Italian architect Mario Bellini and reopened in 2003. Inside are European old masters, French Impressionists, Asian art, antiquities, decorative arts, fashion, photography and contemporary works from around the world. Australian art is shown separately at NGV Australia in Federation Square, a short walk away.
The collection was built largely through the Felton Bequest, a legacy left by the businessman Alfred Felton in 1904 that allowed the gallery to buy world class paintings for a century. Tiepolo's Banquet of Cleopatra, Poussin's Crossing of the Red Sea, Van Dyck's Countess of Southampton and Turner's Walton Bridges all came this way. Picasso's Weeping Woman, bought in 1985 and briefly stolen the following year, is the most famous modern work.
The galleries are arranged over three levels around a central atrium. The ground floor holds Asian art, the Great Hall and the garden; the first floor holds antiquities, medieval and Renaissance art and design; the second floor holds European painting from the sixteenth century to the twentieth. Entry to the permanent collection is free.
Before You Go
- Entry to the permanent collection is free; the big summer and winter exhibitions are ticketed.
- The main entrance is through the Water Wall on St Kilda Road, a few minutes walk south of Flinders Street Station across Princes Bridge.
- European old masters and the Impressionists are on Level 2; do not confuse NGV International with NGV Australia at Federation Square, which holds the Australian collection.
- Finish in the Great Hall on the ground floor and lie on the floor to look at the stained glass ceiling.
- Free cloakroom and lockers are near the entrance; large bags must be checked.
- Photography without flash is allowed in the permanent collection galleries.
- Weekday mornings are quietest; weekends during major exhibitions are very busy.
Collection Areas
Highlights
10 works. Each work has a full written and audio guide.
