Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
Australian masterpieces
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is the nation’s oldest and largest art gallery and the Australian component of its collection is housed at the contemporary Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square. Its offerings are rich and varied, with colonial, modern and contemporary works by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian artists.
Seek out paintings by Frederick McCubbin, Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton, among them McCubbin’s iconic triptych The Pioneers. All three artists were key figures of Melbourne’s own Impressionist art movement, the Heidelberg School. Other highlights include the moody Melbourne canvases of Clarice Beckett and the topical compositions of figurative impressionist Arthur Boyd. Aboriginal artist Emily Kam Kngwarray’s kinetic compositions are fabulous, while the gallery’s lesser-known treasures include exquisite, colonial-era gold and silverware.
The international component of the collection is housed at NGV International, a short walk across Princess Bridge.
Federation Square, cnr Flinders & Swanston Sts, Melbourne
Opening hours: Daily 10am-5pm
Admission: Free, some temporary exhibitions ticketed
Transport: Train to Flinders St
ngv.vic.gov.au