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  1. National Gallery Victoria
    Robert Blackburn | Entrance to the National Gallery Victoria
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  2. NGV, Melbourne
    Photograph: TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock.com
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  3. The NGV Garden lit up with bright colours.
    Photograph: Jessie Obialor
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  4. Installation view of Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossi
    Photograph: NGV/Tom Ross
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  5. picture of people walking around the NGV gallery at the pierre bonnard exhibition
    Lucas Dawson
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  6. The 18th and 19th century salon gallery, featuring 'Anguish', a large painting of a very sad sheep surrounded by crows
    Photograph: Eugene Hyland | The 18th and 19th century salon gallery, featuring 'Anguish'
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  7. NGV International 2015 Federation Court courtesy National Gallery of Victoria photographer credit Charlotte Ambrose
    Photographer: Charlotte Ambrose
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NGV International

See blockbuster exhibitions alongside an impressive permanent collection at the National Gallery of Victoria
  • Art | Galleries
  • Southbank
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Written by Time Out editors
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Time Out says

This grand modernist building on St Kilda Road is Australia's oldest art museum and amongst the most popular in the country. That title has been won thanks to the gallery's top-notch and diverse permanent collection, their fantastic visiting collections and an ongoing series of additional events aimed at locals and tourists alike.

The permanent collection includes a Rembrandt, a Bonnard and a Tiepolo – not bad for a gallery that's only been around since the mid 1800s. All visitors to the NGV must pass the water wall upon entry, and yes, it is hard to resist touching it. The ground floor is where you'll usually find the gallery's major exhibitions and it's also where you'll find the magnificent, boiled lolly-like stained glass ceiling in the Great Hall.

Upstairs you've got the permanent collections, as well as the smaller visiting exhibitions. You cannot visit the NGV without spending a hefty chunk of time in the 19th Century Gallery (or Salon Gallery). It gets its nickname from the style the paintings are hung in, and houses one of the most emotive paintings in the gallery: 'Anguish' by August Friedrich Schenck. The painting depicts a hopeless scene, with a bereft ewe standing over the body of her lamb. 

You could easily spend a whole day in the bulding, so be sure to make regular pit stops. If you're feeling fancy the Tea Room offers high tea as well as cakes and light meals, while downstairs you can fill your belly with the seasonal menu items at Garden Restaurant.

Check out our hit-list of the best galleries in Melbourne.

Details

Address
180 St Kilda Rd
Melbourne
3006
Transport:
Nearby stations: Flinders Street
Price:
Various
Opening hours:
Daily 10am-5pm

What’s on

French Impressionism: From the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

French Impressionism is host to arguably some of the most famous (and most loved) artists of all time. Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Van Gogh and Degas are just some of the artists who achieved such acclaim that they remain household names even a century after their deaths. And this winter, you can see some of the artist's most beautiful and well-known works right here in Melbourne at the NGV's new exhibition, French Impressionism: From the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. From June 5 to October 5, 2025, the NGV will host more than 100 French Impressionist works by artists like Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Paul CĂ©zanne and Mary Cassatt – including works never before seen in Australia. The exhibition is running in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which is well regarded for its collection of French Impressionist masterpieces.    A highlight is the display of 16 canvases in one gallery, painted over a 30-year period, by Claude Monet. These works depict many of Monet’s most beloved scenes of nature in Argenteuil, the Normandy coast, the Mediterranean coast and his famous garden in Giverny.  One of the best things about this exhibition is that you will also learn the stories of the artists, exhibitions and collectors that shaped this significant movement in art history. Originally brought to the NGV back in 2021, this exhibition had to close just after it opened due to (yep, you guessed it), the...
  • Paintings

NGV Friday Nights

Whack on something dazzling and dust off your dancing shoes as the much-loved NGV Friday Nights returns to warm Melburnians up this winter. The popular event returns for 18 weeks during the NGV International's latest winter masterpieces exhibition, French Impressionism.  The new exhibition showcases more than 100 works by some of the greatest impressionist artists of all time, such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas and more. French Impressionism will take visitors on a journey through the evolution of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in late nineteenth-century France, experiencing firsthand the radical vision of avant-garde artists who challenged tradition to forge a new artistic path. From June 6 until October 3, you can take an after-dark journey through late nineteenth-century France, and exploring the evolution of this art form that was once considered radical and avant-garde. But in addition to the art, spend your Friday evening enjoying a night out at one of Melbourne's most beloved attractions. Grab a tipple from one of the multiple bars (including the MoĂ«t and Chandon Champagne Bar and the Yering Station Wine Bar), or enjoy a set winter menu at the NGV Garden Restaurant. The trendy tunes are another key drawcard of NGV Friday nights, with musicians performing in the Great Hall every night. There'll be live music performances spanning genres including jazz, contemporary classical, R&B, neo-soul and electronic,...
  • Exhibitions

Kimono

Admired worldwide for its elegant silhouette and intricate details, the kimono has been an integral, yet constantly evolving, pillar of Japanese fashion for hundreds of years. The iconic straight-cut wrap with matching belt (obi) first appeared in the Heian period (784-1185) alongside the shifting of the island nation’s seat of government to Kyoto. Originally worn by working class people, they were practical and simple, but soon became ubiquitous, adopted by nobility, warriors and everyday folks alike.When Japan opened its borders to the world in the mid-19th century, stunning examples made their way out across the globe. In turn, fashion designers began putting their spin on the national dress. They’re not frozen in time at home, either, with contemporary Japanese designers throwing out the rule book and adapting the look to take it in exciting new directions, as well as honouring tradition in unique ways.  If your budget can’t quite stretch as far as a trip to Japan right now, then the next best thing is winding your way towards St Kilda Road’s NGV International instead. Dazzling exhibition Kimono, on display until October 5, showcases the extraordinary range of the once-humble outfit.  There are 70 beautiful examples on show, including seven newly acquired silk and ramie kimono, once belonging to samurai and merchant families, that date back to the Edo period (1603-1867). You’ll be able to learn about the layers of meaning stitched into recurring motifs like the eternal...
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