Editing National Gallery of Victoria (section)

===20th century===
[[File:Great Hall NGV 2014.jpg|thumb|The Great Hall ceiling, the world's largest [[stained-glass]] ceiling, designed by Melbourne artist [[Leonard French]]<ref>[[Shmith, Michael]]. [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/29/1070081590203.html?from=storyrhs "Raising the roof with a glass ceiling"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624205402/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/29/1070081590203.html?from=storyrhs |date=24 June 2017 }}, ''[[The Age]]''. Retrieved 2 December 2012.</ref>]]
The gallery's collection was built from both gifts of works of art and monetary donations. The most significant, the [[Felton Bequest]], was established by the will of [[Alfred Felton]] and from 1904, has been used to purchase over 15,000 works of art.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngv-media?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cubmd2LnZpYy5nb3YuYXUlMkZtZWRpYS1hcHAlMkZtZWRpYUtpdEFydGljbGVzJTJGMTY3JTJGZGlzcGxheSZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D |title=NGV Media &#124; Welcome to NGV Media |publisher=ngv.vic.gov.au |access-date=2013-08-15}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Since the Felton Bequest, the gallery had long held plans to build a permanent facility; however, it was not until 1943 that the State Government chose a site, Wirth's Park, just south of the [[Yarra River]].<ref name="VHR">National Gallery of Victoria – Victorian Heritage Register</ref> £3 million was put forward in February 1960 and Roy Grounds was announced as the architect.<ref>"&thinsp;'Democratic' Art Gallery Planned". ''[[The Canberra Times]]''. 27 February 1960</ref>

In 1959, the commission to design a new gallery was awarded to the architectural firm Grounds Romberg Boyd. In 1962, [[Roy Grounds]] split from his partners [[Frederick Romberg]] and [[Robin Boyd (architect)|Robin Boyd]], retained the commission, and designed the gallery at 180 [[St Kilda Road]] (now known as NGV International). The new bluestone clad building was completed in December 1967<ref>{{cite web |last=Green |first=Louise McO. |url=http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngvwa/history.html |title=NGV Women's Association History |publisher=National Gallery of Victoria |access-date=2007-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830201532/http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngvwa/history.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=30 August 2007}}</ref> and Victorian premier [[Henry Bolte]] officially opened it on 20 August 1968.<ref>The Canberra Times. Wed 21 Aug 1968. pg 3</ref> One of the features of the building is the [[Leonard French]] stained glass ceiling, one of the world's largest pieces of suspended stained glass, which casts colourful light on the floor below.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/is-this-melbournes-favourite-ceiling-50-years-on-were-still-looking-up-at-ngv-20180813-h13vu3.html |title=Is this Melbourne's favourite ceiling? 50 years on, we're still looking up at NGV |last=Stephens |first=Andrew |date=2018-08-17 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=2019-08-02 |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124154433/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/is-this-melbournes-favourite-ceiling-50-years-on-were-still-looking-up-at-ngv-20180813-h13vu3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The water-wall entrance is another well-known feature of the building.

In 1997, redevelopment of the building was proposed, with [[Mario Bellini]] chosen as architect and an estimated project cost of $161.9 million. The design was extensive, creating all new galleries leaving only the exterior, the central courtyard and Great Hall intact.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/project/national-gallery-victoria/ |title=The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) Redevelopment |access-date=26 February 2018 |archive-date=27 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227205725/http://www.majorprojects.vic.gov.au/project/national-gallery-victoria/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The plans included doing away with the water wall, but following public protests organised by the [[National Trust of Australia (Victoria)|National Trust of Victoria]], the design was altered to include a new one slightly forward of the original.<ref name=Waterwall>{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/waterwall-at-melbournes-ngv-20130116-2cti1.html |title=Waterwall at Melbourne's NGV |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=2019-10-24 |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125231137/https://www.smh.com.au/national/waterwall-at-melbournes-ngv-20130116-2cti1.html |url-status=live}}</ref> During the redevelopment, many works were moved to a temporary external annex known as 'NGV on Russell', at the State Library with its entrance on [[Russell Street, Melbourne|Russell Street]].<ref name="History of State Library" />