Description: National Gallery of Victoria is the premier public art gallery in Melbourne and the whole state of Victoria, and one of the best in the whole of Australia. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest and biggest in the country. The Gallery has two branches, of which the National Gallery of Victoria International is located in the Melbourne's Southbank Arts' Precinct at St Kilda's Road opposite the parklands that extend to Royal Botanic Gardens.
The current National Gallery of Victoria International is housed in a a modern, purpose constructed building designed by Roy Grounds in 1962 (and completed in 1967), of interest in itself. The building is entered via doors in a large, curved arch – resembling a giant mouse-hole - filled with a glass wall permanently covered with a film of slowly flowing water. Inside, the lobby space is open and welcoming albeit a bit disorganised, more of a public square than a temple of art. In front of the water wall stand a series of forged iron sculptures depicting stylised human figures, male and female and as you pass through the lobby towards the back of the building, you enter a large hall in which Leonard French's stained-glass ceiling hangs suspended. People often lie on the ground to look at the work which is a riot of abstract colour dominated by cobalt blue.
The entrance lobby holds the information desk and a cafe, as well as a children's activity area (usually based around the current exhibition) which is supervised and well suited to younger school aged children.
The collections of National Gallery of Victoria number over 65,000 works, and more are displayed in many temporary exhibitions. The International gallery at St Kilda Road features an impressive display of works, from the European Old Masters (Memling, Tiepolo, Rembrandt, Veronese) and Moderns (Pissaro, Modigliani, Picasso, De Koonig). There is more than paintings to the International collection, and substantial spaces are devoted to antique Greek vases, Pacific artefacts, small but excellent display of art from pre-Colombian Mesoamerica and Asian art as well as decorative objects and textiles (including an extensive collection of lace).
The Gallery as a whole is a welcoming space, with a slightly confusing layout but full of transitory areas where visitors can stop, gather, change their minds, exchange views and ideas. Despite being a very square building constructed from large blocks of grey stone, there is no heaviness to the interior spaces as the internal lines of walls and floors are often broken op, open with voids and not at right angles. It's a kind of gallery that one tends to come back to, either to look at some more art or to revisit works previously seen or even simply to use it as a meeting place.
Entrance to the National Gallery of Victoria is free (although flagship temporary exhibitions incur quite high charges) and it can be easily reached from the city centre by walking over the River Yarra or taking a tram or a free City Shuttle bus to Arts' Precinct.
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