Editing National Gallery of Victoria

{{Short description|Art museum in Melbourne, Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox museum
| name            = National Gallery of Victoria
| former_name     = 
| image           = National Gallery of Victoria 2024.jpg
| logo            = 
| caption         = NGV International on [[St Kilda Road]] in [[Southbank, Victoria|Southbank]]
| map_type        = 
| coordinates     = {{Coord|37|49|21|S|144|58|08|E|type:landmark:AU_dim:5km|display=inline,title}}
| established     = {{Start date and age|24 May 1861|df=yes}}
| location        = [[Southbank, Victoria|Southbank]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], Australia
| type            = [[Art museum]]
| visitors        = 3,210,000 (2017–18)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NGV-ANNUAL-REPORT-2017_18.pdf |title=NGV Annual Report 2017/18 |last=National Gallery of Victoria |date=2018 |access-date=21 July 2019 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330122230/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NGV-ANNUAL-REPORT-2017_18.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| director        = Tony Ellwood
| curator         = 
| publictransit   = [[Flinders Street railway station|Flinders Street station]]<br />Tram routes [[Melbourne tram route 1|1]], [[Melbourne tram route 3|3]], [[Melbourne tram route 5|5]], [[Melbourne tram route 6|6]], [[Melbourne tram route 16|16]], [[Melbourne tram route 64|64]], [[Melbourne tram route 67|67]], [[Melbourne tram route 72|72]]
| website         = {{URL|www.ngv.vic.gov.au|ngv.vic.gov.au}}
| embedded        = {{Infobox designation list
| embed                   = yes
| designation1            = VICHR
| designation1_offname    = National Gallery of Victoria
| designation1_type       = State Registered Place
| designation1_criteria   = a, d, e, g, h
| designation1_date       = August 20, 1982
| delisted1_date          = 
| designation1_partof     = 
| designation1_number     = H1499<ref name=heritage>{{cite web|title=National Gallery of Victoria|url=https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/1066|website=[[Victorian Heritage Register|Victorian Heritage Database]]|publisher=[[Government of Victoria]]|access-date=27 November 2023|archive-date=23 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923202139/https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/1066|url-status=live}}</ref>
| designation1_free1name  = Heritage Overlay number
| designation1_free1value = HO792<ref name=heritage />
}}
}}

The '''National Gallery of Victoria''', popularly known as '''the NGV''', is an art museum in [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]], Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and [[list of most visited art museums in the world|most visited]] art museum.

The NGV houses its collection across two sites: NGV International, located on [[St Kilda Road]] in the [[Melbourne Arts Precinct]] of [[Southbank, Victoria|Southbank]], and the [[Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia]], located nearby at [[Federation Square]]. The NGV International building, designed by Sir [[Roy Grounds]], opened in 1968, and was redeveloped by [[Mario Bellini]] before reopening in 2003. It houses the gallery's international art collection and is on the [[Victorian Heritage Register]]. The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, designed by [[Lab Architecture Studio]], opened in 2002 and houses the gallery's Australian art collection.

A third site, The Fox: NGV Contemporary, is planned to open in the Melbourne Arts Precinct in 2028, and will be Australia's largest contemporary art gallery.

==History==
===19th century===
[[File:State Library of Victoria Lithograph 1860.jpg|thumb|[[Nicholas Chevalier]]'s unrealised 1860 vision for the National Gallery next to the State Library building]]

In 1850, the [[Port Phillip District]] of [[New South Wales]] was granted separation, officially becoming the colony of [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] on 1 July 1851. In the wake of [[Victorian gold rush|a gold rush]] the following month, Victoria emerged as Australia's richest colony, and [[Melbourne]], its capital, Australia's largest and wealthiest city. With Melbourne's rapid growth came calls for the establishment of a public art gallery, and in 1859, the [[Government of Victoria]] pledged £2000 for the acquisition of plaster casts of sculpture.<ref>Mansfield, Elizabeth. ''Art History and Its Institutions: Foundations of a Discipline''. Psychology Press, 2002. p. 105</ref> These works were displayed in the Museum of Art, opened by Governor [[Sir Henry Barkly]] in May 1861 on the lower floor of the south wing of the public Library (now the [[State Library of Victoria]]) on [[Swanston Street]].<ref name="History of State Library">[The History of the State Library of Victoria http://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/slvhistory/museumgallerypro {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831062749/https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/slvhistory/museumgallerypro |date=31 August 2021 }}]</ref> Further money was set aside in the early 1860s for the purchase of original paintings by British and Victorian artists. These works were first displayed in December 1864 in the newly opened Picture Gallery, which remained under the curatorial administration of the Public Library until 1882.<ref>Lane, Terence. ''Nineteenth-century Australian Art in the National Gallery of Victoria''. National Gallery of Victoria, 2003. pp. 13–14.</ref><ref>McCulloch, Alan. ''The Encyclopedia of Australian Art''. University of Hawaii Press, 1994. p. 815</ref> Grand designs for a building fronting [[Lonsdale Street|Lonsdale]] and Swanston streets were drawn by [[Nicholas Chevalier]] in 1860 and Frederick Grosse in 1865, featuring an enormous and elaborate library and gallery, but these visions were never realised.

[[File:Opening of the new fine arts gallery NGV 1875.jpg|thumb|Opening of the McArthur Gallery in 1875, now home to the State Library of Victoria's painting collection]]
On 24 May 1874, the first purpose-built gallery, known as the McArthur Gallery, opened in the McArthur room of the State Library, and the following year, the Museum of Art was renamed the National Gallery of Victoria.<ref name="History of State Library" /> The McArthur Gallery was only ever intended as a temporary home until the much grander vision was to be realised.<ref>State Library of Victoria Complex. 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne Conservation Management Plan. Lovell Chen</ref> However such an edifice did not eventuate and the complex was instead developed incrementally over several decades.

The [[National Gallery of Victoria Art School]], associated with the gallery, was founded in 1867 and remained the leading centre for academic art training in Australia until about 1910.<ref>{{cite book |last=McCulloch |first=Alan |author2=Susan McCulloch |year=1994 |title=The Encyclopedia of Australian Art |publisher=Allen & Unwin |isbn=1-86373-315-9 |page=864 (Appendix 8)}}</ref> The School's graduates went on to become some of Australia's most significant artists. This later became the VCA (Victorian College of the Arts), which was bought by the [[University of Melbourne]] in 2007 after it went bankrupt.

In 1887, the Buvelot Gallery (later Swinburne Hall) was opened, along with the Painting School studios. In 1892, two more galleries were added: Stawell (now Cowen) and La Trobe.<ref name="History of State Library" />

In 1888, the gallery purchased [[Lawrence Alma-Tadema]]'s 1871 painting ''The Vintage Festival'' for £4000, its most expensive acquisition of the 19th century.

===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" />

===21st century===
[[File:Ian Potter Centre NGV Australia.jpg|thumb|The [[Federation Square]] Atrium leads to the [[Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia|Ian Potter Centre]], which houses NGV Australia.]]
A major fundraising drive was launched on 10 October 2000 to redevelop the ageing St Kilda Road building and although the state government committed the majority of the funds, private donations were sought in addition to federal funding. The drive achieved its aim and secured $15 million from the [[Ian Potter]] Foundation on 11 July 2000, $3 million from [[Loti Smorgon]], $2 million from the Clemenger Foundation, and $1 million each from [[James Fairfax]] and the [[Pratt Foundation]].<ref>National Gallery of Victoria, [http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ngv_corp_annualreport_2000_01.pdf Annual Report 2000–2001] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330124551/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ngv_corp_annualreport_2000_01.pdf |date=30 March 2019 }}</ref>

NGV on Russell closed on 30 June 2002<ref name="History of State Library" /> to make way for the staged opening of the new St Kilda Road gallery. It was officially opened by premier [[Steve Bracks]] on 4 December 2003.<ref>National Gallery of Victoria [http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ngv_corp_annualreport_2003_04.pdf Annual Report 2003–2004] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330124037/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ngv_corp_annualreport_2003_04.pdf |date=30 March 2019 }}</ref>

The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia in [[Federation Square]] was designed by [[Lab Architecture Studio]] to house the NGV's [[Australian art]] collection. It opened in 2002. As such, the NGV's collection is now housed in two separate buildings, with Grounds' building renamed NGV International.

== Locations ==

=== St Kilda Road: NGV International ===
NGV international is located at 180 St Kilda Rd and houses the NGV's European, Asian, Oceanic and American art collections.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NGV International – What's On |url=https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/ngv-international |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au |language=en |archive-date=15 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215025750/https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/ngv-international |url-status=live }}</ref> It houses a number of permanent displays, arranged by region and chronology.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=NGV |date=March 2022 |title=Map of NGV International and Australia |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/NGV-MAPS-MAR-MAY-2022.pdf |access-date=25 May 2022 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326165014/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/NGV-MAPS-MAR-MAY-2022.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It also has a large ground-floor space used for temporary exhibitions, and contemporary art spaces on level 3 are also used for temporary exhibitions.<ref name=":3" /> The building is surrounded by a moat and fountains, while the main entrance features a famous water wall, which has been used to display the art of [[Keith Haring]] and others.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Percival |first=Lindy |date=2019-11-20 |title=Keith Haring's doomed mural returns to Melbourne's iconic water wall |url=https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/keith-haring-s-doomed-mural-returns-to-melbourne-s-iconic-water-wall-20191118-p53bq9.html |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=The Age |language=en |archive-date=14 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114095628/https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/keith-haring-s-doomed-mural-returns-to-melbourne-s-iconic-water-wall-20191118-p53bq9.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Waterwall /> At the rear of NGV International is a sculpture garden, which hosts an annual large-scale installation through the NGV Architecture Commission.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ponder this: 2021 NGV Architecture Commission opens |url=https://architectureau.com/articles/2021-ngv-architecture-commission-ponder-opens/ |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=ArchitectureAU |language=en |archive-date=6 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206051836/https://architectureau.com/articles/2021-ngv-architecture-commission-ponder-opens/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia ===
[[File:NGV Australia Federation Square.jpg|thumb|Inside the Ian Potter Centre]]
NGV Australia is located in the [[Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia|Ian Potter Centre]] at [[Federation Square]]. The building houses the NGV's Australian collection, with a permanent display presenting a chronological history of Australian art and a selection of the galley's 25,000 Australian works.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia – What's On |url=https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/ian-potter-centre-ngv-australia |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au |language=en |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525075432/https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/ian-potter-centre-ngv-australia |url-status=live }}</ref> NGV Australia has a particular focus on Indigenous Australian art, and alongside the permanent displays presents temporary exhibitions relating to Australian art and history.

=== The Fox: NGV Contemporary ===
In 2018, the State Government of Victoria announced a new contemporary art gallery would be built behind the [[Arts Centre Melbourne|Arts Centre]] and the existing NGV International building.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-03/melbourne-to-build-largest-art-gallery-in-australia/9829344 |title=Art lovers rejoice — Melbourne to get new contemporary art gallery |last=Andie Noonan |date=2018-06-03 |website=ABC News |language=en-AU |access-date=2019-08-02 |archive-date=2 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202193202/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-03/melbourne-to-build-largest-art-gallery-in-australia/9829344 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Government spent $203 million to begin the project, including $150 million to purchase the former Carlton and United Breweries building for the new gallery.<ref name=":0" /> The new building is part of a major new $1.7 billion redevelopment of the surrounding Melbourne Arts Precinct which is planned to include 18,000 square metres of new public space, new space for contemporary art and design exhibitions, and a new home for the Australian Performing Arts Gallery.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/game-changer-melbourne-to-build-nation-s-largest-contemporary-art-gallery-20180603-p4zj5f.html |title='Game-changer': Melbourne to build nation's largest contemporary art gallery |last=Hinchliffe |first=Joe |date=2018-06-02 |website=The Age |language=en |access-date=2019-08-02 |archive-date=23 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123215944/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/game-changer-melbourne-to-build-nation-s-largest-contemporary-art-gallery-20180603-p4zj5f.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Nick |date=2022-03-10 |title=$1.7 billion Southbank arts plan approved despite 'urban blight' warning |url=https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/1-7-billion-southbank-arts-plan-approved-despite-urban-blight-warning-20220310-p5a3bj.html |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=The Age |language=en |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525075430/https://www.theage.com.au/culture/art-and-design/1-7-billion-southbank-arts-plan-approved-despite-urban-blight-warning-20220310-p5a3bj.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Ian Potter Foundation pledged $20 million for the new building.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=2022-04-19 |title=Lindsay and Paula Fox make record $100 million donation to Melbourne gallery |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-19/lindsay-and-paula-fox-donate-100m-to-ngv-gallery/100999676 |access-date=2022-05-25 |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525075430/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-19/lindsay-and-paula-fox-donate-100m-to-ngv-gallery/100999676 |url-status=live }}</ref> The masterplan for the precinct was approved in 2022.<ref name=":4" /> The public space is being designed by architecture firms [[Hassell (architecture firm)|HASSELL]] and [[SO-IL]] with a new elevated garden connecting [[Hamer Hall, Melbourne|Hamer Hall]] and Southbank Boulevard.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Team appointed to design Melbourne Arts Precinct public realm {{!}} Arts Centre Melbourne |url=https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/about-us/reimagining/project-updates/team-appointed-to-design-melbourne-arts-precinct-public-realm |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=www.artscentremelbourne.com.au |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='Dramatic, diverse' planting design for proposed Melbourne Arts Precinct public spaces |url=https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/dramatic-diverse-planting-design-for-proposed-melbourne-arts-precinct-public-spaces/ |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Landscape Australia |language=en |archive-date=4 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604105802/https://landscapeaustralia.com/articles/dramatic-diverse-planting-design-for-proposed-melbourne-arts-precinct-public-spaces/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The winner of the design competition for the NGV Contemporary was announced in March 2022 as [[Candalepas Associates|Angelo Candalepas and Associates]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kolovos |first1=Benita |title='Gamechanger': design unveiled for National Gallery of Victoria's contemporary art space |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/mar/15/gamechanger-design-unveiled-for-national-gallery-of-victorias-contemporary-art-space |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]]|date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=15 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315033235/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/mar/15/gamechanger-design-unveiled-for-national-gallery-of-victorias-contemporary-art-space |url-status=live }}</ref> In April it was announced that billionaires Paula and [[Lindsay Fox]] had donated $100 million to the NGV Contemporary project in the largest ever donation to an Australian art museum, and that the gallery would be named The Fox: NGV Contemporary.<ref name=":5" /> The new gallery will have 13,000 square metres of exhibition space and is planned to open in 2028.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NGV |date=March 2022 |title=About The Fox: NGV Contemporary |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/the-fox-ngv-contemporary/ |access-date=25 May 2022 |archive-date=26 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426061224/http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/the-fox-ngv-contemporary/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Juanola |first1=Marta |title='A magnet for tourists': State government unveils design of NGV Contemporary |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/a-magnet-for-tourists-state-government-unveils-design-of-1-7-billion-ngv-contemporary-20220315-p5a4ot.html |access-date=15 March 2022 |newspaper=[[The Age]]|date=15 March 2022 |archive-date=15 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315005358/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/a-magnet-for-tourists-state-government-unveils-design-of-1-7-billion-ngv-contemporary-20220315-p5a4ot.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It will be Australia's largest contemporary gallery.<ref>{{cite tweet|author=[[Daniel Andrews|Dan Andrews]]|user=DanielAndrewsMP|title=Say hello to NGV Contemporary|number=1503518170933768194|access-date=15 March 2022|archive-date=14 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314234731/https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1503518170933768194|url-status=live}}{{better source needed|date=March 2023}}</ref>

==Collection==
===Asian art===
[[File:Katsushika Hokusai The Great Wave off Kanagawa 1830.jpg|thumb|[[Katsushika Hokusai]], ''[[The Great Wave off Kanagawa]]'', c. 1830]]
The NGV's Asian art collection began in 1862, one year after the gallery's founding, when [[Frederick Dalgety]] donated two Chinese plates. The Asian collection has since grown to include significant works from across the continent.

===Australian art===
The NGV's Australian art collection encompasses Indigenous ([[Aboriginal Australians|Australian Aboriginal]]) art and artefacts, Australian colonial art, Australian Impressionist art, 20th century, modern and contemporary art. The first curator of Australian Art was Brian Finemore, from 1960 until his death in 1975.<ref>Maureen Gilchrist, "High regard for Brian Finemore", ''[[The Age]]'', 27 October 1975, p. 2</ref>

The 1880s saw the birth and development of the [[Heidelberg School]] (also known as Australian [[Impressionism]]) in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, and the NGV was well-placed to acquire some of the movement's key artworks, including [[Tom Roberts]]' ''[[Shearing the Rams]]'' (1890), [[Arthur Streeton]]'s ''[[The purple noon's transparent might]]'' (1896), and [[Frederick McCubbin]]'s ''[[The Pioneer (painting)|The Pioneer]]'' (1904).<ref>[[Ann Galbally|Galbally, Ann]]. ''The Collections of the National Gallery of Victoria''. Oxford University Press, 1987. {{ISBN|9780195545913}}, p. 36.</ref>

The Australian collection includes works by [[Del Kathryn Barton]], [[Charles Blackman]], [[Clarice Beckett]], [[Arthur Boyd]], [[John Brack]], [[Angela Brennan]], [[Rupert Bunny]], [[Louis Buvelot]], [[Ethel Carrick]], [[Nicholas Chevalier]], [[Charles Conder]], [[Olive Cotton]], [[Grace Crowley]] [[David Davies (artist)|David Davies]], [[Destiny Deacon]], [[William Dobell]], [[Julie Dowling (artist)|Julie Dowling]], [[Russell Drysdale]], [[E. Phillips Fox]], [[Rosalie Gascoigne]], [[John Glover (artist)|John Glover]], [[Eugene von Guerard]], [[Fiona Hall (artist)|Fiona Hall]], [[Louise Hearman]], [[Joy Hester]], [[Hans Heysen]], [[Emily Kame Kngwarreye]], [[George W. Lambert]], [[Sydney Long]], [[John Longstaff]], [[Frederick McCubbin]], [[Helen Maudsley]], [[Tracey Moffatt]], [[Jan Nelson]], [[Hilda Rix Nicholas]], [[Sidney Nolan]], [[John Perceval]], [[Patricia Piccinini]], [[Margaret Preston]], [[Thea Proctor]], [[Hugh Ramsay]], [[David Rankin (artist)|David Rankin]], [[Tom Roberts]], [[John Russell (Australian painter)|John Russell]], [[Grace Cossington Smith]], [[Ethel Spowers]], [[Arthur Streeton]], [[Clara Southern]], [[Jane Sutherland]], [[Violet Teague]], [[Jenny Watson (artist)|Jenny Watson]], [[Fred Williams (artist)|Fred Williams]] and others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Collection {{!}} NGV |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/ |access-date=2021-06-16 |website=www.ngv.vic.gov.au |archive-date=21 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421011601/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A large number of works were donated by Dr. Joseph Brown in 2004 which form the [[Joseph Brown Collection]].

'''Selected works'''
<gallery widths="195px" heights="195px">
File:Aboriginal shields NGV.jpg|Aboriginal shields
File:Nicholas Chevalier - The Buffalo Ranges - Google Art Project.jpg|''The Buffalo Ranges'' (1864) by [[Nicholas Chevalier]], the first painting of an Australian subject to be acquired by the gallery
File:Eugène von Guérard - Yalla-y-Poora - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Eugene von Guerard]], ''Yalla-y-Poora'', 1864
File:Tom Roberts - Shearing the rams - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Tom Roberts]], ''[[Shearing the Rams]]'', 1890
File:John Longstaff Lady in Grey 1890.jpg|[[John Longstaff]], ''Lady in Grey'', 1890
File:Arthur Streeton Purple 1896.jpg|[[Arthur Streeton]], ''[[The purple noon's transparent might]]'', 1896
File:John Peter Russell Rough Sea.jpg|[[John Russell (Australian painter)|John Russell]], ''Rough Sea, Belle-Île'', c. 1900
File:E Phillips Fox The Lesson.jpg|[[E. Phillips Fox]], ''The Lesson'', 1912
File:Dd103915.jpg|[[Clarice Beckett]], ''Evening light, Beaumaris'', c. 1925
</gallery>

===International art===
[[File:National Gallery of Victoria Britain & European Collection 2017.jpg|thumb|18th century British gallery]]
The NGV's international art collection encompasses European and international paintings, fashion and textiles, photography, prints and drawings, Asian art, decorative arts, Mesoamerican art, Pacific art, sculpture, antiquities and global contemporary art. It has strong collections in areas as diverse as old masters, Greek vases, Egyptian artefacts and historical European ceramics, and contains the largest and most comprehensive range of artworks in Australia.<ref name="autogeneratedvic">{{cite web |url=http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/col/collections/collection-areas |title=Collection Online > collections > Collection Areas |publisher=ngv.vic.gov.au |date=31 July 2013 |access-date=2013-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804111818/http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/col/collections/collection-areas |archive-date=4 August 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The international collection includes works by [[Diane Arbus|Arbus]], [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini|Bernini]], [[Pierre Bonnard|Bonnard]], [[Paris Bordone|Bordone]], [[Canaletto]], [[Paul Cézanne|Cézanne]], [[John Constable|Constable]], [[Antonio da Correggio|Correggio]], [[Salvador Dalí|Dalí]], [[Edgar Degas|Degas]], [[Sonia Delaunay|Delaunay]], [[Anthony van Dyck|van Dyck]], [[Tracey Emin|Emin]], [[Thomas Gainsborough|Gainsborough]], [[Orazio Gentileschi|Gentileschi]], [[El Greco]], [[Dorothea Lange|Lange]], [[Édouard Manet|Manet]], [[Henri Matisse|Matisse]], [[Hans Memling|Memling]], [[Amedeo Modigliani|Modigliani]], [[Claude Monet|Monet]], [[Henry Moore|Moore]], [[Edvard Munch|Munch]], [[Pablo Picasso|Picasso]], [[Camille Pissarro|Pissarro]], [[Giambattista Pittoni|Pittoni]], [[Nicolas Poussin|Poussin]], [[Rembrandt]], [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir|Renoir]], [[Jusepe de Ribera|Ribera]], [[Bridget Riley|Riley]], [[Mark Rothko|Rothko]], [[Peter Paul Rubens|Rubens]], [[Pierre Soulages|Soulages]], [[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo|Tiepolo]], [[Tintoretto]], [[Titian]], [[J. M. W. Turner|Turner]], [[Paolo Uccello|Uccello]], [[Paolo Veronese|Veronese]] and others.

One of the highlights of the NGV's international collection is [[Auguste Rodin]]'s first cast of his iconic sculpture ''[[The Thinker]]'', executed in 1884.<ref>Blanchetière, François; Thurrowgood, David (2013). "Two Insights Into Augustus Rodin's ''The Thinker''". ''Art Journal''. National Gallery of Victoria. '''52'''.</ref> The NGV is also home to the only portrait of [[Lucrezia Borgia]] known to have been painted from life, dated to approximately 1515 and attributed to [[Dosso Dossi]].<ref>[https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/media_release/ngv-solves-mystery-of-renaissance-portrait/ "NGV Solves Mystery of Renaissance Portrait"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417091244/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/media_release/ngv-solves-mystery-of-renaissance-portrait/ |date=17 April 2021 }} (26 November 2008), NGV. Retrieved 4 June 2020.</ref>

'''Selected works'''
<gallery widths="195px" heights="195px">
File:Paolo Uccello - St George slaying the dragon - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Paolo Uccello]], ''St. George Slaying the Dragon'', 1430
File:Jan van Eyck Madonna with the Child Reading.jpg|[[Jan van Eyck]] ([[Jan van Eyck#Workshop.2C unfinished or lost works|workshop]]), ''[[Ince Hall Madonna]]'', 1433
File:Correggio, Madonna and Child with infant St John the Baptist 1514–15.jpg|[[Antonio da Correggio|Correggio]], ''Madonna and Child with infant St John the Baptist'', 1514–15
File:Rembrandt Two old men disputing 1628.jpg|[[Rembrandt]], ''Two old men disputing'', 1628
File:Poussin-CrossingOfTheRedSea.jpg|[[Nicolas Poussin]], ''[[The Crossing of the Red Sea (Poussin)|The Crossing of the Red Sea]]'', 1634
File:Anthony van Dyck Rachel de Ruvigny.jpg|[[Anthony van Dyck]], ''[[Rachel Russell, Lady Russell|Rachel de Ruvigny, Countess of Southampton]]'', 1640
File:Giambattista Tiepolo - The Banquet of Cleopatra - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo]], ''[[The Banquet of Cleopatra (Tiepolo)|The Banquet of Cleopatra]]'', 1743–44
File:George Stubbs 005.jpg|[[George Stubbs]], ''[[George Stubbs#A lion attacking a horse|A Lion Attacking a Horse]]'', 1765
File:Thomas Gainsborough - An officer of the 4th Regiment of Foot - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Thomas Gainsborough]], ''Richard St George Mansergh-St George'', 1776
File:Edwin Landseer - Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Titania and Bottom - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Edwin Landseer]], ''[[Scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', 1851
File:John Everett Millais - The rescue - Google Art Project.jpg|[[John Everett Millais]], ''[[The Rescue (painting)|The Rescue]]'', 1855
File:August Friedrich Albrecht Schenck - Anguish - Google Art Project.jpg|[[August Friedrich Schenck]], ''[[Anguish (Schenck)|Anguish]]'', 1878
File:Jules Bastien-Lepage - October - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Jules Bastien-Lepage]], ''[[October (painting)|October]]'', 1878
File:Claude Monet - Vétheuil - Google Art Project (427751).jpg|[[Claude Monet]], ''Vétheuil'', 1879
File:Cézanne - FWN 175.jpg|[[Paul Cézanne]], ''The Uphill Road'', 1881
File:Gustave Caillebotte - The plain of Gennevilliers, yellow fields - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Gustave Caillebotte]], ''The plain of Gennevilliers, yellow fields'', 1884
File:Rodin Thinker NGV.jpg|[[Auguste Rodin]], ''[[The Thinker]]'' ([[List of The Thinker sculptures|first ever bronze cast]]), 1884
File:John William Waterhouse - Ulysses and the Sirens - Google Art Project.jpg|[[John William Waterhouse]], ''[[Ulysses and the Sirens (Waterhouse)|Ulysses and the Sirens]]'', 1891
File:Camille Pissarro - Boulevard Montmartre, morning, cloudy weather - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Camille Pissarro]], ''Boulevard Montmartre, morning, cloudy weather'', 1897
File:Siesta 1900.jpg|[[Pierre Bonnard]], ''Siesta'', 1900
File:Early Spring (Munch).jpg|[[Edvard Munch]], ''Early Spring'', 1905
File:Amedeo modigliani, ritratto del pittore manuel humbert, 1916.jpg|[[Amedeo Modigliani]], ''Portrait of the painter Manuel Humbert'', 1916
File:Suzanne valadon nu a la draperie115931).jpg|[[Suzanne Valadon]], ''Nude with drapery'', 1921
File:Salvador Dali Mae West Lips NGV.jpg|[[Salvador Dalí]], ''[[Mae West Lips Sofa]]'', 1937
</gallery>

===Photography===
[[File:Max Dupain - Sunbaker - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|[[Max Dupain]], ''[[Sunbaker]]'', 1937]]
In 1967, the NGV established the first curatorial department dedicated to photography in an Australian public gallery,<ref>Although the Art Gallery of South Australia began collecting photographs as fine art in 1922, it houses them with 'Australian Prints, Drawings and Photographs'(see: http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/agsa/home/Collection/australlian_prints_drawings_and_photographs.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902114213/http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/agsa/home/Collection/australlian_prints_drawings_and_photographs.html |date=2 September 2017 }}). Other Photography collections in public galleries are: The Art Gallery of New South Wales, est.1975 (see: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/photography/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027144627/http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/photography/ |date=27 October 2013 }}); Queensland Art Gallery| Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) started their collection in 1987 where works are housed as art of the Contemporary Australian Art collection</ref> one of the first in the world. It now holds over 15,000 works. In that same year, the Gallery acquired the photography collection's first work, ''Surrey Hills street'' 1948 by [[David Moore (Australian photographer)|David Moore]][http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/col/work/13331] and in 1969 the first international work was acquired, ''Nude'' 1939 by [[František Drtikol]][https://archive.today/20130926010356/http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/col/tools/col-artwork-search?queries_keywords_query=Franti%C5%A1ek+Drtikol&search_page_120713_submit_button=Search&current_result_page=1&results_per_page=20&submitted_search_category=&mode=&view=textview]. The first photographer to exhibit solo at the NGV was [[Mark Strizic]] in 1968.<ref>''Mark Strizic: A Journey in Photography'' information [[National Portrait Gallery (Australia)|National Portrait Gallery]] Travelling Exhibitions site http://www.portrait.gov.au/site/exhibition_subsite_strizic4.php {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928012608/http://www.portrait.gov.au/site/exhibition_subsite_strizic4.php |date=28 September 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/times-a-changin-caught-on-camera-20111019-1m80l.html |title=Times a-changin' caught on camera |last=Coslovich |first=Gabriella |date=2011-10-19|newspaper=[[The Age]]|access-date=2020-01-06 |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125225735/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/times-a-changin-caught-on-camera-20111019-1m80l.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Jennie Boddington]], a filmmaker, was appointed first full-time curator of photography in 1972, possibly only the third such appointment amongst world public institutions.<ref>Ely, Deborah. ''History of Photography'', 1 June 1999, Vol. 23(2), pp. 118–122</ref><ref>Cox, Leonard B. ''The National Gallery of Victoria, 1861–1968: The Search for a Collection''. Melbourne: The National Gallery of Victoria; Brown Prior Anderson Pty Ltd, 1971</ref>

===Prints and drawings===
The NGV's Department of Prints and Drawings is responsible for one third of the gallery's collection. Highlights among the department's holdings include one of the world's largest collections of engravings and woodcuts by [[Albrecht Dürer|Dürer]].<ref>Zdanowicz, Irena. ''Albrecht Dürer in the Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria''. National Gallery of Victoria, 1994. {{ISBN|9780724101696}}.</ref> The NGV is also said to have one of the most impressive collections of works by [[William Blake]], including 36 of the 102 watercolours he worked on up until his death in 1827 to illustrate the ''[[Divine Comedy]]'' by [[Dante]], the largest number of works from this series held by any gallery in the world.<ref>[http://artsreview.com.au/ngv-to-showcase-its-william-blake-collection/ "NGV to showcase its William Blake collection"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408205939/http://artsreview.com.au/ngv-to-showcase-its-william-blake-collection/ |date=8 April 2018 }} (25 March 2014), ''Arts Review''. Retrieved 8 April 2018.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/the-resurrection-of-william-blakes-illustrations-on-dantes-divine-comedy-20140403-35zqn.html |title=The resurrection of William Blake's illustrations on Dante's Divine Comedy |last=Harford |first=Sonia |date=2014-04-04 |website=The Age |language=en |access-date=2020-01-06 |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125224039/https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/the-resurrection-of-william-blakes-illustrations-on-dantes-divine-comedy-20140403-35zqn.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Rembrandt and [[Francisco Goya|Goya]] are also well-represented, and the Australian collection contains a detailed account of the history of graphic arts in Australia.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/curatorial/prints-and-drawings/ |title=Prints & Drawings {{!}} NGV |website=www.ngv.vic.gov.au |access-date=2020-01-06 |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304224655/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/curatorial/prints-and-drawings/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The NGV no longer dedicates a space to exhibiting works from the Prints and Drawings collection, though some works on paper are rotated within the permanent collection galleries and may appear in exhibitions.<ref name=":1" /> Works in the collection may be viewed by appointment in the department's Print Study Room.<ref name=":1" />

'''Selected works'''
<gallery widths="195px" heights="195px">
File:Albrecht Dürer - Melencolia I - Google Art Project (427760).jpg|[[Albrecht Dürer]], ''[[Melencolia I]]'', 1514
File:François Boucher - Madame de Pompadour - Google Art ProjectFXD.jpg|[[François Boucher]], ''[[Madame de Pompadour]]'', 1754
File:William Blake - Dante running from the three beasts - Google Art Project.jpg|[[William Blake]], ''Dante running from the three beasts'', 1824
File:J. M. W. Turner - The Red Rigi - Google Art Project.jpg|[[J. M. W. Turner]], ''[[The Rigi|The Red Rigi]]'', 1842
File:Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Paolo and Francesca da Rimini - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Dante Gabriel Rossetti]], ''Paolo and Francesca da Rimini'', 1867
File:Ford Madox Brown - The finding of Don Juan by Haidée - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Ford Madox Brown]], ''The finding of Don Juan by Haidée'', 1869
File:Towards the Forest II, 1897-1915, Munch.jpg|[[Edvard Munch]], ''Towards the Forest II'', 1897
</gallery>

==Controversies==
===As a "National Gallery"===
When plans for the construction of the [[National Gallery of Australia]] in [[Canberra]] became firmly established in the 1960s, Australia's state galleries removed the word "national" from their names (for example, the National Gallery of New South Wales in [[Sydney]] became the [[Art Gallery of New South Wales]]). This naming convention dated back to the 19th century when Australia's colonies were self-governing political entities and had yet to [[federation of Australia|federate]]. Only the NGV has retained "national" in its name.<ref>Knell, Simon. ''National Galleries''. Routledge, 2016. {{ISBN|9781317432425}}, p. 104.</ref> This has proven to be somewhat contentious, given that the NGV is technically not a national gallery, and occasionally there have been calls for it to follow the example of the other state galleries.

=== Withdrawal of ''Chloé'' ===
{{main|Chloé (artwork)}}
{{multiple image
| align        = right
| direction    = horizontal
| header_align = center
| total_width  = 340
| image1    = Chloé, par Jules Joseph Lefebvre.jpg
| width1    = 960
| height1   = 1888
| alt1      = 
| caption1  = ''[[Chloé (artwork)|Chloé]]'', 1875, [[Jules Joseph Lefebvre]]
| image2    = Chloe, Melbourne Picture Gallery, 1883.jpg
| width2    = 1388
| height2   = 1467
| alt2      = 
| caption2  = "A Question Of Propriety": ''Chloé'' on display at the gallery, 1883
}}
In May 1883, when the National Gallery of Victoria opened on a Sunday for the first time, a public debate erupted over the propriety of displaying a female nude portrait on the [[Sabbath]]. The painting in question, French artist [[Jules Joseph Lefebvre]]'s ''[[Chloé (artwork)|Chloé]]'' (1875), had been loaned to the gallery that month, and was "cautiously displayed in a dim corner". Nonetheless, ''Chloé'' became "Melbourne's ''[[femme fatale]]''", and after three weeks of scandal, was withdrawn and hidden from the public. It eventually found a permanent home at Melbourne's [[Young and Jackson Hotel]], down the road from the NGV on Swanston Street.<ref>Bell, Katrina. "[https://index-journal.org/issues/identity/evanescence-of-an-artist-s-model-by-katrina-kell Evanescence of an Artist's Model] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730095928/https://index-journal.org/issues/identity/evanescence-of-an-artist-s-model-by-katrina-kell |date=30 July 2021 }}". ''Index Journal''. Issue 1</ref>

=== Slaughtered Cow happening ===
{{further|Ivan Durrant#Beverley The Amazing Performing Cow - The Slaughtered Cow happening}}
In 1975, painter and performance artist [[Ivan Durrant]] deposited a cow carcass in the NGV forecourt.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rule |first=Dan |date=2011-02-14 |title=From unholy cows to horses for courses |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/from-unholy-cows-to-horses-for-courses-20110214-1atk3.html |access-date=2021-01-03 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|archive-date=2 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402015726/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/from-unholy-cows-to-horses-for-courses-20110214-1atk3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Durrant later stated that it was part of a performance art piece intended to shock those who might be horrified by the death of the animal while also happy to consume meat.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Northover |first=Kylie |date=2020-11-20 |title=I want people to run out of the f—king gallery: Ivan Durrant |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/i-want-people-to-run-out-of-the-f-king-gallery-ivan-durrant-20201116-p56f0b.html |access-date=2021-01-03 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419114854/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/i-want-people-to-run-out-of-the-f-king-gallery-ivan-durrant-20201116-p56f0b.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time, the NGV denounced the piece as a "sick and disgusting act".<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Ivan Durrant, Barrier Draw |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Large-print-labels_Ivan-Durrant.pdf |access-date= |website= |archive-date=19 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119123250/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Large-print-labels_Ivan-Durrant.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Picasso theft===
{{main|Theft of The Weeping Woman from the National Gallery of Victoria}}
A famous event in the gallery's history occurred in 1986 with the theft of [[Pablo Picasso]]'s painting ''[[The Weeping Woman]]'' (1936). A person or group identifying themselves as the "Australian Cultural Terrorists" claimed responsibility for the theft, stating that the painting was stolen in protest against the perceived poor treatment of the arts by the [[Government of Victoria (Australia)|state government]] of the time. They sought as a ransom the establishment of an art prize for young artists. The painting was found undamaged in a railway locker two weeks later and returned to the gallery.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stolen Picasso |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/rewind/txt/s1199862.htm |work=Rewind (ABC TV) |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=10 September 2010 |author=Justin Murphy |author2=Susan Cram |date=19 September 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730020430/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/rewind/txt/s1199862.htm |archive-date=30 July 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===''Piss Christ''===
{{main|Piss Christ}}
During a retrospective of [[Andres Serrano]]'s work at the NGV in 1997, the then [[Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne]], [[George Pell]], sought an injunction from the [[Supreme Court of Victoria]] to restrain the gallery from publicly displaying ''Piss Christ'', which was not granted. Some days later, one patron attempted to remove the work from the gallery wall, and two teenagers later attacked it with a hammer.<ref name="LawText" /> Gallery officials reported receiving death threats in response to ''Piss Christ''.<ref name="LivingWater">{{Cite web |url=http://www.martinrothonline.com/lw10.htm |work=Living Water to Light the Journey |title=Chapter 10: When Blasphemy Came to Town |last=Roth |first=Martin |year=1999 |publisher=MartinRothOnline.com |access-date=25 January 2021 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224150919/http://www.martinrothonline.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> NGV Director [[Timothy Potts]] cancelled the show, allegedly out of concern for a [[Rembrandt]] exhibition that was also on display at the time.<ref name="LawText">{{Cite journal |last=Casey |first=Damien |date=June 2000 |title=Sacrifice, Piss Christ, and liberal excess. |journal=Law Text Culture |url=http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/dacasey/Serrano.html |format=Reprint |access-date=October 25, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609135113/http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/dacasey/Serrano.html |archive-date=June 9, 2010}}<!-- alternate URL: http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/dacasey/Serrano.htm --></ref> Supporters argued that the controversy over ''Piss Christ'' is an issue of [[artistic freedom]] and [[freedom of speech]].<ref name="LivingWater"/>

==Special exhibitions==
An exhibition known as ''The Field'' opened the gallery's new premises on St Kilda Road in 1968.<ref>{{Citation|title=The Field : Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, August 21 – September 28, 1968 |publication-date=1968 |publisher=National Gallery of Victoria |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/19373943 |access-date=30 September 2020 |archive-date=5 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205090823/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/19373943 |url-status=live }}</ref> Reflecting the influence of [[abstract art]], particularly New York-inspired [[Hard-edge painting|hard edge]] and [[color field]] painting, it featured 74 works by forty (mostly emerging young) Australian painters and sculptors. Described as a radical departure from the gallery's more traditional program, it signified more broadly a growing internationalisation of the Australian art world.<ref>[[Patrick McCaughey]], "Changing situation of our art", ''[[The Age]]'', 28 August 1968, p. 6.</ref><ref>Patrick McCaughey, "The significance of The Field", in ''[[Art & Australia]]'', December 1968, p. 235.</ref> The NGV held an exhibition titled "The Field Revisited" in 2018 to mark its 50th anniversary.<ref>[https://dailyreview.com.au/ngv-rstages-field/72583/ "NGV to Restage 1968's Groundbreaking Exhibition 'The Field{{'"}}] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804111039/https://dailyreview.com.au/ngv-rstages-field/72583/ |date=4 August 2020 }}, ''[[Daily Review (website)|Daily Review]]'' (14 March 2018). Retrieved 17 April 2018.</ref>

===Melbourne Winter Masterpieces===
The NGV has held several large exhibitions known as [[Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series|Melbourne Winter Masterpieces]] exhibitions, starting with ''Impressionists: Masterpieces from the Musee d'Orsay'' in 2004.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Duration
!Exhibition title
!Attendance<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://creative.vic.gov.au/research/data/funded-investments-data/state-cultural-organisations/national-gallery-of-victoria-ngv/melbourne-winter-masterpieces |title=Melbourne Winter Masterpieces |last=Creative Victoria |website=creative.vic.gov.au |language=en |access-date=2018-07-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708162700/https://creative.vic.gov.au/research/data/melbourne-winter-masterpieces |archive-date=8 July 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
!Notable works and information
|-
|'''2004'''
|17 June – 26 September
|Impressionists: Masterpieces from the [[Musée d'Orsay]]
|371,000
|An additional exhibition of [[Caravaggio]] paintings was also held in 2004
|-
|'''2005'''
|24 June – 2 October
|[[Dutch masters|Dutch Masters]] from the [[Rijksmuseum]], Amsterdam
|219,000
|[[Johannes Vermeer|Vermeer]]'s painting ''[[Woman Reading a Letter (Vermeer)|Woman Reading a Letter]]'' was exhibited, the first time a Vermeer painting had been exhibited in Australia
|-
|'''2006'''
|30 June – 8 October
|[[Pablo Picasso|Picasso]]: Love and War 1935–1945
|224,000
|Over 300 Picasso drawings and paintings from 1935 to 1945, curated by Anne Baldassari, Director of the [[Musée Picasso]], Paris<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arts.vic.gov.au/content/Public/About_Us/Major_Projects_and_Initiatives/Melbourne_Winter_Masterpieces.aspx |title=Arts Victoria – Melbourne Winter Masterpieces |access-date=24 November 2009 |archive-date=7 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107091714/http://www.arts.vic.gov.au/content/Public/About_Us/Major_Projects_and_Initiatives/Melbourne_Winter_Masterpieces.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|'''2007'''
|30 June – 7 October
|Guggenheim Collection 1940s to now
|180,000
|More than 85 works by 68 artists, mainly from the [[Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum]], New York City, but also from other Guggenheim Museums in [[Peggy Guggenheim Collection|Venice]], [[Guggenheim Museum Bilbao|Bilbao]], and [[Berlin]]. The exhibition did not travel to any other city<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/guggenheim/ |title=Guggenheim Collection: 1940s to Now |year=2007 |publisher=NGV |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927010236/http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/guggenheim/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=27 September 2007 |access-date=2007-10-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.entertainmentdepot.com.au/news/guggenheim-leaves-melbourne/ |title=Guggenheim leaves Melbourne |date=8 October 2007 |publisher=Entertainment Depot, Australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731175453/http://www.entertainmentdepot.com.au/news/guggenheim-leaves-melbourne/ |archive-date=31 July 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=2007-10-10 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
|'''2008'''
|28 June – 5 October
|[[Art Deco]] 1910—1939
|241,000
|Organised by the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], London<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/artdeco/ |title=Art Deco |year=2008 |publisher=NGV |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614024117/http://ngv.vic.gov.au/artdeco |archive-date=14 June 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=2009-06-10}}</ref>
|-
|'''2009'''
|13 June – 4 October
|[[Salvador Dalí]] Liquid Desire
|333,000
|
|-
|'''2010'''
|19 June – 10 October
|European Masters: [[Städel Museum]], 19th–20th Century
|200,000
|
|-
|'''2011'''
|13 June – 4 October
|[[Vienna]] Art and Design
|172,000
|
|-
|'''2012'''
|2 June – 7 October
|[[Napoleon]]: Revolution to Empire
|189,000
|
|-
|'''2013'''
|10 May – 8 September
|[[Claude Monet|Monet's]] Garden: The [[Musée Marmottan Monet]], Paris
|342,000
|
|-
|'''2014'''
|16 May – 31 August
|Italian Masterpieces from [[Spain|Spain's]] [[Spanish royal family|Royal Court]], [[Museo del Prado]]
|153,000
|
|-
|'''2015'''
|31 July – 8 November
|Masterpieces from the [[Hermitage Museum|Hermitage]]: The Legacy of [[Catherine the Great]]
|172,000
|Exhibition featured pieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, Velazquez, Van Dyck and others
|-
|'''2016'''
|24 June – 18 September
|[[Edgar Degas|Degas]]: A New Vision
|197,500
|
|-
|'''2017'''
|28 April – 12 July
|[[Vincent van Gogh|Van Gogh]] and the Seasons
|462,262
|Exhibition recorded a total attendance figure of 462,262, making it the most popular ticketed art exhibition ever presented in Victoria,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/record-busting-van-gogh-draws-over-110000-tourists-to-victoria/ |title=Record-Busting Van Gogh Draws Over 110,000 Tourists To Victoria |access-date=1 August 2017 |archive-date=1 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801193356/http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/record-busting-van-gogh-draws-over-110000-tourists-to-victoria/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the most successful ticketed exhibition in the gallery's 156-year history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/starry-final-night-for-van-gogh-and-the-seasons-at-national-gallery-of-victoria-20170712-gx9wlr.html |title=Starry final night for Van Gogh and the Seasons at National Gallery of Victoria |last1=Cunningham |first1=Melissa |website=The Age |date=12 July 2017 |publisher=Fairfax Media |access-date=15 July 2017 |archive-date=16 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716013828/http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/starry-final-night-for-van-gogh-and-the-seasons-at-national-gallery-of-victoria-20170712-gx9wlr.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/07/10/09/42/van-gogh-works-draw-record-crowds-to-ngv |title=Van Gogh works draw record crowds to NGV |website=9 News |access-date=15 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710044115/http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/07/10/09/42/van-gogh-works-draw-record-crowds-to-ngv |archive-date=10 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The exhibition is credited for generating almost $56 million for the Victorian economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://creative.vic.gov.au/research/data/melbourne-winter-masterpieces |title=Melbourne Winter Masterpieces |website=Creative Victoria |publisher=Government of Victoria |access-date=15 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717101340/http://creative.vic.gov.au/research/data/melbourne-winter-masterpieces |archive-date=17 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|'''2018'''
|9 June – 7 October
|[[Museum of Modern Art|MoMA]]: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art
|404,034
|Exhibition in partnership with the [[Museum of Modern Art]] in New York City. Includes over 200 key works arranged into eight chronological and thematic sections. 
The exhibition concluded with a total attendance figure, of 404,034, making it the NGV's second most attended ticketed exhibition on record.<ref>{{cite web |title=More than 400,000 visit MoMA at NGV |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/FINAL-ATTENDANCE-MR-FINAL.pdf |publisher=National Gallery of Victoria |access-date=31 January 2019 |archive-date=4 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804060312/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/FINAL-ATTENDANCE-MR-FINAL.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|'''2019'''
|24 May – 13 October
|[[Terracotta Army|Terracotta Warriors]] and [[Cai Guo-Qiang]]
|377,105
|The exhibition included a large-scale presentation of China's [[Qin Shi Huang|first emperor's]] Terracotta Warriors presented alongside an exhibition of new, commissioned works by Chinese contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang.<ref name="ngv.vic.gov.au">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/terracotta-warriors-cai-guo-qiang/ |title=Terracotta Warriors & Cai Guo-Qiang {{!}} NGV |website=www.ngv.vic.gov.au |access-date=2019-08-02 |archive-date=11 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711132110/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/terracotta-warriors-cai-guo-qiang/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/terracotta-warriors-march-towards-melbourne-with-a-bang-20181217-p50mpo.html |title=Terracotta warriors march towards Melbourne with a bang |last=Francis |first=Hannah |date=2018-12-17 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=2019-08-02 |archive-date=2 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802094602/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/terracotta-warriors-march-towards-melbourne-with-a-bang-20181217-p50mpo.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-25/terracotta-warriors-and-cai-guo-qiang-exhibition-ngv-melbourne/11146078 |title=Beyond terracotta warriors: Artist provides antidote to simplistic, 'exoticised' idea of China |last=Jefferson |first=Dee |date=2019-05-25 |website=ABC News |language=en-AU |access-date=2019-08-02 |archive-date=30 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730234833/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-25/terracotta-warriors-and-cai-guo-qiang-exhibition-ngv-melbourne/11146078 |url-status=live }}</ref> The exhibition include 150 historical Chinese artefacts, eight terracotta warriors, two full-sized horses and two replica bronze chariots of [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]], [[Qin dynasty|Qin]], [[Han dynasty|Han dynasties]], which were lent by [[Shaanxi History Museum]] in [[Xi'an]] and many other Chinese institutes.<ref name="ngv.vic.gov.au"/>
|-
|'''2020'''
|N/A
|N/A
|
|The 2020 Winter Masterpieces exhibition was to be a presentation of works by French post-impressionist painter [[Pierre Bonnard]]. Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Australia|COVID-19 Pandemic]], this exhibition was delayed until 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dowse |first=Nicola |title=The NGV's 2020 winter masterpiece exhibition has been postponed for three years |url=https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/the-ngvs-2020-winter-masterpiece-exhibition-has-been-postponed-for-three-years-042420 |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Time Out Melbourne |language=en-AU |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428085223/https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/the-ngvs-2020-winter-masterpiece-exhibition-has-been-postponed-for-three-years-042420 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|'''2021'''
|4 June – 3 October
|French Impressionism: From the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]]
|
|The exhibition included 100 impression works from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, including 79 works that had never been exhibited in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dowse |first=Nicola |title=The NGV's French Impressionism exhibition won't reopen: but you can see it online |url=https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/art/french-impressionism-from-the-museum-of-fine-arts-boston |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Time Out Melbourne |language=en-AU |archive-date=14 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114095626/https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/art/french-impressionism-from-the-museum-of-fine-arts-boston |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, this exhibition closed weeks after opening and could not reopen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=French Impressionism at NGV Virtual Tour |url=https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/event/french-impressionism-ngv-virtual-tour |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Broadsheet |language=en |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428085224/https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/event/french-impressionism-ngv-virtual-tour |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|'''2022'''
|10 June – 9 October
|The Picasso Century
|
|The 2022 Winter Masterpiece exhibition is a career retrospective of [[Pablo Picasso]], developed for the NGV by the [[Centre Pompidou]] and the [[Musée Picasso|Musée Picasso Paris]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=NGV |date=April 2022 |title=Exhibition page: The Picasso Century |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/the-picasso-century/ |access-date=28 April 2022 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307070957/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/the-picasso-century/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It features 70 works by Picasso alongside 100 works by his contemporaries and influences, drawn from French collections.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=A World-Premiere Picasso Exhibition – With 70 Masterpieces – Is Coming to Melbourne |url=https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/art-and-design/article/world-premiere-picasso-exhibition-70-masterpieces-coming-melbourne |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Broadsheet |language=en |archive-date=19 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319053527/https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/art-and-design/article/world-premiere-picasso-exhibition-70-masterpieces-coming-melbourne |url-status=live }}</ref> The exhibition contributed $91 million to the Victorian economy, making it the exhibition with the highest economic impact in the history of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Booming Major Events Calendar Boosts Victorian Jobs |url=https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/booming-major-events-calendar-boosts-victorian-jobs |website=Premier of Victoria |publisher=Victorian Government |access-date=25 September 2023 |archive-date=27 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127052418/https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/booming-major-events-calendar-boosts-victorian-jobs |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|'''2023'''
|6 June – 8 October
|Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi
|
|
|-
|'''2024'''
|14 June – 6 October
|Pharaoh<ref>{{cite web |title=World-Exclusive Pharaoh Exhibition To Take Over NGV |url=https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/world-exclusive-pharaoh-exhibition-take-over-ngv |website=Premier of Victoria |publisher=Victorian Government |access-date=25 September 2023 |archive-date=27 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127052415/https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/world-exclusive-pharaoh-exhibition-take-over-ngv |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 336,000
|
|}

===Melbourne Now===
In 2013 the NGV launched "Melbourne Now", an exhibition which celebrated the latest art, architecture, design, performance and cultural practice to reflect the complex cultural landscape of creative Melbourne. "Melbourne Now" ran from 22 November 2013 – 23 March 2014 and attracted record attendances of 753,071.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.ngv.vic.gov.au/2014/03/24/melbourne-now-closes-with-753071-visitors-through-the-doors-of-the-ngv/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140423023734/http://media.ngv.vic.gov.au/2014/03/24/melbourne-now-closes-with-753071-visitors-through-the-doors-of-the-ngv/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2014 |title=NGV Media |access-date=2014-04-23 |year=2014 |publisher=NGV}}</ref>

A decade after the original exhibition, a second edition of Melbourne Now ran from 24 March 2023 to 20 August 2023 at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. The exhibition, which celebrated home-grown art and design from over 200 Victorian-based emerging and established artists, designers, studios and firms, drew 433,575 attendees, which made the exhibition one of the most popular exhibitions at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home-Grown Art A Crowd Favourite At NGV |url=https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/home-grown-art-crowd-favourite-ngv |website=Premier of Victoria |publisher=Victorian Government |access-date=25 September 2023 |archive-date=27 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127052417/https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/home-grown-art-crowd-favourite-ngv |url-status=live }}</ref>

===NGV Triennial===
Following the success of "Melbourne Now", in March 2014 the NGV announced a major new initiative, the NGV Triennial. Beginning in the Summer of 2017, it is intended as a large-scale celebration of the best of contemporary international art and design.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.ngv.vic.gov.au/2014/03/19/ngv-announces-major-plan-for-contemporary-international-art-and-design/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140423023812/http://media.ngv.vic.gov.au/2014/03/19/ngv-announces-major-plan-for-contemporary-international-art-and-design/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 April 2014 |title=NGV Media |access-date=2014-04-23 |year=2014 |publisher=NGV}}</ref> The inaugural Triennial ran from 15 December 2017 to 15 April 2018, and drew almost 1.3 million visitors during its run, making it the most attended exhibition in the gallery's history until then.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Neutze |first=Ben |title=The NGV's Triennial is the gallery's most-visited exhibition ever |url=https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/the-ngvs-triennial-is-the-gallerys-most-visited-exhibition-ever-041918 |magazine=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|access-date=3 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611031703/https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/the-ngvs-triennial-is-the-gallerys-most-visited-exhibition-ever-041918 |archive-date=11 June 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Plant |first1=Simon |title=NGV Triennial exhibition reaches record 1 million visitors |url=https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/ngv-triennial-exhibition-reaches-record-1-million-visitors/news-story/38b809c9e192c86c5a0cf696662692da |website=[[news.com.au]]|publisher=News Corp |access-date=3 June 2018 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130152401/https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/ngv-triennial-exhibition-reaches-record-1-million-visitors/news-story/38b809c9e192c86c5a0cf696662692da |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Noonan |first1=Andie |title=Melbourne to build largest contemporary art gallery in Australia|website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|location=Australia|date=3 June 2018 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-03/melbourne-to-build-largest-art-gallery-in-australia/9829344|access-date=3 June 2018 |archive-date=2 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202193202/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-03/melbourne-to-build-largest-art-gallery-in-australia/9829344 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 2020–21 NGV Triennial opened on 19 December 2020 and closed on 18 April 2021. The exhibition, which attracted more than 548,000 visitors during its run,<ref>{{cite news|title='Buzz is coming back to Melbourne': Weekend foot traffic nears pre-pandemic level |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/buzz-is-coming-back-to-melbourne-weekend-foot-traffic-nears-pre-pandemic-level-20210418-p57k7b.html |newspaper=[[The Age]]|date=18 April 2021|access-date=19 April 2021 |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419023612/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/buzz-is-coming-back-to-melbourne-weekend-foot-traffic-nears-pre-pandemic-level-20210418-p57k7b.html |url-status=live }}</ref> showcased works by more than 100 artists, designers and collectives from 30 countries, with 34 newly commissioned works from a mixture of both Australian and international artists.<ref>{{cite web |title=NGV Triennial to Be Part of a Summer Like No Other |url=https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/ngv-triennial-be-part-summer-no-other |website=Premier of Victoria |publisher=Victorian Government |access-date=8 October 2020 |archive-date=8 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408193455/https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/ngv-triennial-be-part-summer-no-other |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 2023–24 NGV Triennial, running from 3 December 2023 until 7 April 2024, featured over 75 projects by 100 artists, designers and collectives from over 30 countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=NGV Triennial 2023: 75+ Projects by 100 Artists, Designers and Collectives from 30+ Countries |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/media_release/ngv-triennial-2023-75-projects-by-100-artists-designers-and-collectives-from-30-countries/ |website=National Gallery of Victoria |access-date=31 May 2023 |archive-date=31 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531103417/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/media_release/ngv-triennial-2023-75-projects-by-100-artists-designers-and-collectives-from-30-countries/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The exhibition attracted 1,063,675 visitors during its run, making it one of the most popular exhibitions in the NGV’s history.<ref>{{cite web |title=NGV TRIENNIAL: MORE THAN 1,063,000 VISITORS SEE BLOCKBUSTER EXHIBITION |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/media_release/ngv-triennial-more-than-1063000-visitors-see-blockbuster-exhibition/ |website=National Gallery of Victoria |access-date=16 July 2024}}</ref>

=={{anchor|journal}}Publications==

The ''Art Journal of the National Gallery of Victoria'', usually referred to as the ''Art Journal'', was first published as ''The Quarterly Bulletin of the National Gallery of Victoria'' in 1945, changing its name and frequency in 1959 to the ''Annual Bulletin of the National Gallery of Victoria'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Art Journal |website=NGV |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/channel/publications/art-journal/ |access-date=6 December 2020 |archive-date=2 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202172032/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/channel/publications/art-journal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> then to the ''Art Bulletin of Victoria'' in 1967–68 (edition 9)<ref>{{Citation |title=Art bulletin of Victoria |publication-date=1968 |publisher=Council of the National Gallery of Victoria |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/11370462 |access-date=6 December 2020 |issn=0066-7935 |archive-date=14 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114095626/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/11370462 |url-status=live }}</ref> (abbreviated to ABV, edition 42). For edition 50 in 2011, in its 50th year of publication and 150th anniversary of the gallery,<ref name="NGV">{{cite web |title=Edition 50 |website=NGV |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/journal_edition/edition-50/ |access-date=6 December 2020 |archive-date=30 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130193703/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/journal_edition/edition-50/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the name was changed to its present name.<ref>{{Citation |publisher=National Gallery of Victoria. Council of Trustees |title=Art journal of the National Gallery of Victoria |publication-date=2011 |issn=1839-4140 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/154910415/version/168911284 |access-date=6 December 2020 |archive-date=14 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114095627/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/154910415/version/168911284 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The NGV also publishes a bi-monthly magazine, ''NGV Magazine.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=NGV Magazine {{!}} NGV |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngv-magazine/ |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=www.ngv.vic.gov.au |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Directors of the NGV==
Directors of the NGV since its inception:<ref>[[Alan McLeod McCulloch|Alan McCulloch]], Susan McCulloch and Emily McCulloch Childs, ''The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art'' (4th edition), Aus Art Editions & Miegunyah Press, 2006, p. 458.</ref>
*[[G. F. Folingsby]], 1882–1891
*[[Lindsay Bernard Hall]], 1892–1935<ref>{{Cite Australian Dictionary of Biography|author=Ann E. Galbally|author-link=Ann Galbally|id2=hall-lindsay-bernard-6528|title=Lindsay Bernard Hall (1859–1935)|volume=9|year=1983}}</ref>
*[[William Beckwith McInnes]], (acting) 1935–1936
*P. M. Carew-Smyth, (acting) 1937
*[[James Stuart MacDonald|J. S. Macdonald]], 1936–1941
*Sir Ernest [[Daryl Lindsay]], 1942–1955
*[[Eric Westbrook]], 1956–1973
*Gordon Thomson, 1973–1974
*Eric Rowlison, 1975–1980
*[[Patrick McCaughey]], 1981–1987
*[[T. L. Rodney Wilson]], 1988
*[[James Mollison]], AO, 1989–1995
*[[Timothy Potts]], 1995–1998
*Dr [[Gerard Vaughan (art historian)|Gerard Vaughan]], 1999–2012
*Tony Ellwood, 2012–present<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/about/people-and-careers/key-people/tony-ellwood-director-of-the-national-gallery-of-victoria/ |title=Tony Ellwood, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria {{!}} NGV |website=www.ngv.vic.gov.au |access-date=2017-10-01 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508065613/https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/about/people-and-careers/key-people/tony-ellwood-director-of-the-national-gallery-of-victoria/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Museums|Visual arts|Australia}}
* [[List of national galleries]]
* [[List of largest art museums]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{Official website|www.ngv.vic.gov.au}}
*{{Webarchive|title=Egyptian objects in NGV (Conorp Egypt)|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217042113/http://www.conorp.com/ |date=17 February 2016}}
*Video: [http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3225814.htm Artscape – The NGV Story (Part 1)], [http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3231728.htm (Part 2)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813064351/http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3231728.htm |date=13 August 2017 }}
*{{cite web |title=National Gallery of Victoria|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-gallery-of-victoria|publisher=[[Google Arts & Culture]]}}

{{MuseumVictoria}}
{{Melbourne landmarks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Art museums and galleries in Melbourne]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Melbourne]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Melbourne (LGA)]]
[[Category:Heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1968]]
[[Category:Modernist architecture in Australia]]
[[Category:Brutalist architecture in Australia]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries established in 1861]]
[[Category:1861 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:National museums of Australia]]
[[Category:Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria|*]]
[[Category:Southbank, Victoria]]