National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

You will realise from my introduction that I specifically visited Melbourne, on this occasion, to visit the National Gallery of Vicotria International to see the Exhibition entitled:
" The Impressionists
Masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay"
It has now finished & the next temporary Exhibition I am looking forward to visiting begins on October 13 and is:
"Edvard Munch - The Frieze of Life".

At the moment there are four other temporary exhibitions which are:
Man Ray (fantastic photos was in Sydney at the Art Gallery of New South Wales) which finishes Oct 17;
Crown & Camera Photos of Colonial India which finishes January 30, 2005,
15 Minutes of Fame 20 Year of Pop Prints which finishes Dec 5 this year &
The art of Zen which finishes October 24 this year.

This is a great gallery & I would have liked to have had more time to explore the permanent exhbitions as well the other temporary ones.

If you are visiting Melbourne then I strongly recommend you spending at least a couple of hours, preferably more, having a look around this excellent facility.

The National Gallery of Victoria is divided into two sites within a short walking distance of each other. One is the NGV Ian Potter Australia Center which displays works from Australian artists. The other is the NGV International which displays works from artists from abroad. The International is a multi level building divided into many galleries. The extensive permanent collection has a great array of paintings, drawings and sculptures from many countries. You can spend hours and hours viewing the various galleries. Admission to the permanent collection is free while the touring collections might charge a small fee.

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With the formation of the Federation in 1901 and Melbourne being the capital but the subsequent transference of the state capital to Canberra in the 1920s, the city is something of an anomoly in that it was allowed to retain the word 'National' in most of its public buildings. Hence National Gallery of Victoria (as opposed to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra).
Much longer established, the NGV's collection is the best in Australia, so much so that it has two separate sites - one in Federation Square for Australian work and the NGV in St Kilda Rd for International Work.

Closed for more than 5 years for a major renovation, the NGV International opened at the beginning of 2004 to much pomp, ceremony and acclaim as befitting a gallery of major global significance. Melbournites and Australians in general have flocked back in record numbers, with, in the first few months, to see exhibitions the like never seen before in Australia - Caravaggio, Man Ray, fashion photographer Guy Bourdin and a major Impressionist exhibition from the Musee d'Orsay.

Since the re-opening, the gallery has 'settled' into the presentation of a 'major' exhibition each year from July-October (Winter Masterpieces) - including The Impressionists, Dali, Warhol, Picasso, Munch (all of which attract 200-350,000 attendees) alongside numerous other exhibitions of national and international significance.

Opening hours: 10am - 5pm Wednesday - Monday (closed Tuesday). During the Winter Masterpieces, gallery also open until 9pm on most Wednesdays (but check website to confirm).
Admission free except to the major annual exhibitions

The National Gallery is unusual in its architecture and is surrounded by a moat. The gallery houses a Picasso, several William Blake watercolours, and many other local and international works. I had heard just recently that the gallery was relocating to Russel Street in the city. It can currently be found next to the Victorian Arts Centre.