National Gallery Of Victoria: The Three-tiered Crown Of Melbournes Art World

As the cultural and commercial heart of Australia

, The National Gallery of Victoria is one of Melbournes crown jewels. Located in St. Kilda Rd, Southbank of the Melbourne Art Precinct, it is the oldest and largest art gallery in Australia. The name is at first confusing, as Victoria is not a nation but a state; however, it harks back to the olden era when Victoria was a discrete self-governing British colony.

The gallery benefited greatly from the Victorian gold rush, which was mainly responsible for Melbournes economic prosperity. Patrons made wealthy by the burgeoning industry made generous donations to the gallery, enabling it to purchase large overseas art collections. Currently, the gallery lays claim to 63,000 works of art.

The NGV International, constructed in 1967, is famous for its Leonard French ceiling which is one of the worlds largest pieces of suspended stained glass, filtering a mosaic of colored sunlight onto the floors below. This gallery is devoted to the International Collection, which includes art by Rubens, Rembrandt, Bernini and Tintoretto, to name only a few.

The Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square was opened in 2003 specifically to house the Australian collection. This collection boasts key Australian works, which follow the emergence of uniquely Australian artistic identity from the blend of imported European styles.

The modern collection of the NGV has expanded into new avenues of art form in photography, fashion and Australian Aboriginal art. It also hosts large exhibitions during the winter, known as blockbusters, which feature priceless masterpieces. Old masters of the renaissance, Greek relics, Egyptian artifacts and European ceramics comprise the wide vista of artwork that is one of the largest and most comprehensive collections in the nation.

Although a thorough and comprehensive tour of the galleries and other notable cultural sites of the city would require days of excursion, visitors will find that they have alternatives to extended hotel stays in the city. In

by: Pushpitha Wijesinghe

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