National Gallery of Victoria corrects details of missing Bonington painting investigation

MELBOURNE.- The National Gallery of Victoria outlined details of its investigations into the missing, now reported stolen, Richard Bonington painting Low Tide at Boulogne (1818-28). Media reports erroneously suggested that the NGV has done very little to recover the work during the last decade. Gerard Vaughan, Director NGV said: “All appropriate protocols and processes were followed as the Gallery sought to locate the work, including discussions with the Trustees and Arts Ministry from 2003 with further advice to the Government, police and [...]

National Gallery of Victoria launches contemporary art space with an exhibition of work by Ranjani Shettar

MELBOURNE.- On 4 November, the National Gallery of Victoria will launch its newest contemporary art space with a spectacular exhibition of work by internationally renowned contemporary artist, Ranjani Shettar (1977 – ). Ranjani Shettar: Dewdrops and Sunshine will showcase the artist’s unique approach to sculpture including material experimentation, relationship to space, engagement with nature, exploration of tradition and resonance with modernism. Often transforming natural phenomena into magical forms, Shettar creates sculptures informed by a material openness that borrows from Indian craft traditions filtered [...]

Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria Director Gerard Vaughan announces retirement

MELBOURNE.- After thirteen years as Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Dr Gerard Vaughan today announced he would retire from his role as Director in July 2012. Dr Vaughan was originally appointed Director of the NGV in 1999. Dr Vaughan said today that he believed the time was right to retire from his role: “In any field of endeavor knowing when to leave a role is crucial. I believe this is the right time to bow out. “I am very proud [...]

National Gallery of Victoria Acquires Newly Discovered Renaissance Masterpiece

MELBOURNE.- The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) today announced that in its 150th year it had acquired a highly important masterpiece by Correggio, one of the most influential figures of the Italian High Renaissance. Director Gerard Vaughan unveiled the painting, which has just arrived from London. The newly discovered work, titled Madonna and Child with the infant Saint John the Baptist was painted by Antonio Allegri, called Correggio, circa 1514‐1515. This rare Correggio is a magnificent example of early 16th century Northern [...]

Dazzling Display by the Greatest Viennese Artists Opens at the National Gallery of Victoria

MELBOURNE.- Stylish, provocative, rebellious and unforgettable – the world has seen nothing like Vienna in 1900. The National Gallery of Victoria today opened Vienna: Art & Design, a dazzling display of over 300 extraordinary works by the greatest Viennese artists of the early 20th century. Vienna: Art & Design features truly spectacular works by the world-renowned Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) including his magnificent portrait Emilie Flöge 1902, alongside the groundbreaking paintings of Egon Schiele (1890–1918), Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980), Koloman Moser (1868–1918) [...]

National Gallery of Victoria Celebrates 150th Birthday with a Gift of 173 Indigenous Artworks

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.- On the 24th of May 2011, the National Gallery of Victoria celebrated its 150th birthday. To honour this tremendous milestone, the NGV unveiled an exceptional gift of 173 important Indigenous works of art including three by contemporary artists Vernon Ah Kee, Brook Andrew and Jonathan Jones who were commissioned to create works that pay homage to the highly celebrated Wurundjeri artist, William Barak. These pieces have been gifted by the Felton Bequest, established in 1904 by the NGV’s [...]

Exhibition of One of Australia’s Most Renowned and Eminent Landscape Artists Opens in Melobourne

MELBOURNE.- The National Gallery of Victoria opened Eugene von Guérard: Nature Revealed, a superb exhibition which takes an in depth look, for the first time in over 30 years, at one of Australia’s most renowned and eminent landscape artists, Eugene von Guérard (1811-1901). Dr Gerard Vaughan, Director, NGV said: “Eugene von Guérard: Nature Revealed is a star feature of the NGV’s 150th anniversary year and it’s a great honour to have present von Guérard’s great, great granddaughter, Dr Harriet Buckley, [...]

A Celebration of the Skill of Emerging Victorian Artists at the National Gallery of Victoria

MELBOURNE.- Opening 31 March, the National Gallery of Victoria will present Top Arts: VCE 2010, a celebration of the skill and imagination of emerging Victorian artists. Now in its seventeenth year, Top Arts will display 55 works by 53 students from government, Catholic and independent schools from across Victoria. Exemplary drawings, photography, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, books, short films and textiles will be represented in this year’s exhibition. Works have been inspired by a wide range of themes, including responses to [...]

A Significant Exhibition of Gustave Moreau Opens at the National Gallery of Victoria

MELBOURNE.- Be seduced by femmes fatales, goddesses and temptresses of history and legend at the NGV this summer in Gustave Moreau and the Eternal Feminine, the first significant exhibition of Gustave Moreau (1826–1898) to be seen in Australia. From 10 December, the superb craftsmanship of Gustave Moreau will be celebrated with over 100 paintings, watercolours and drawings from the unique and acclaimed Musée Gustave Moreau in Paris. Gerard Vaughan, Director, NGV said this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Australians to [...]

Painting by Monet to Make a Planned Early Departure from Exhibition

MELBOURNE.- Calling all Monet fans: you need to hurry on down to the NGV’s European Masters exhibition before 9pm Wednesday 1 September! Claude Monet’s fascinating work The Luncheon is making a planned early departure from the National Gallery of Victoria’s European Masters exhibition to be a part of a Monet retrospective at the Galeries nationales du Grand Palais in Paris. Painted in 1868, The Luncheon was submitted to the Salon in Paris in 1870. However the painting was rejected as [...]

National Gallery of Victoria Celebrates the Work Artist John Davis

MELBOURNE.- This August, the National Gallery of Victoria celebrates the work of influential Australian artist, John Davis (1936–1999). John Davis: Presence draws together over 40 works by the artist including sculpture, photography and installations. David Hurlston, Curator, Australian Art, NGV, said this important survey charts Davis’s development as an artist, from his early works, produced during the 1960s, through to his critically acclaimed sculptures and installation works leading into the nineties. “At the core of his practice, particularly evident in [...]

Captivating Exhibition Exploring the Notion of Time in Photographs Opens in Melbourne

MELBOURNE.- The National Gallery of Victoria presents Timelines: Photography and Time, a captivating exhibition exploring the notion of time in photographs. Timelines features almost forty photographs from the NGV Collection by both Australian and international photographers including work by Diane Arbus, Micky Allan and Bill Brandt. Isobel Crombie, Senior Curator of Photography, NGV said photography has a unique role to play in capturing the way that time passes. “The camera’s ability to ‘stop the clock’ enables the medium to direct [...]

Exhibition Showcases the Artistic Talents of Young Victorians

MELBOURNE.- The National Gallery of Victoria opened Top Arts: VCE 2009, an exhibition showcasing the artistic talents of young Victorians. Now in its sixteenth year, Top Arts displays over 80 works by 57 students from government, Catholic and independent schools from across Victoria. Students’ ideas are represented through a range of media, including drawing, film, painting, inkjet prints, textiles, and sculpture. This year’s works have been inspired by a wide range of themes, including contemporary culture, the nature of relationships, [...]

Major Retrospective Exhibition of the Work of Rupert Bunny Opens in Melbourne

MELBOURNE.- The National Gallery of Victoria today opens a major retrospective exhibition of the work of Rupert Bunny (1864–1947). Melbourne-born Bunny was one of the most successful artists of his generation. Living most of his life in France, no other Australian artist achieved the accolades Bunny received in Paris in the 1890s and early 1900s. This is the first major exhibition of Bunny’s work since 1991. Organised by the Art Gallery of New South Wales and curated by Deborah Edwards, [...]

Nolan’s Ned Kelly Masterpiece Breaks Australia’s Auction Record

SYDNEY.- “First Class Marksman” broke the Australian auction record for a painting on Thursday at Menzies Art Brands, when it sold for AUD $5.4 million dollars ($4.9 million). “The painting was put to auction on 25 March at Sydney, with an estimated auction price of $3 million to $5 million,” said Mr Rod Menzies, Chairman of Menzies Art Brands. “We were thrilled to be entrusted with the sale of this important iconic work, which we believed would set a new [...]

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