Melbourne Art Galleries

ARTS PRECINCT

St Kilda Road immediately south of Princess Bridge and adjoining Southgate, Melbourne.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA — AUSTRALIAN ART

Federation Square. Corner of Russell and Flinders Streets, Melbourne. Phone 03 8662 1553. The Ian Potter Centre, a stunning architectural triumph, houses the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection of Australian art. It is a collection of great depth and complexity, containing an outstanding holding of works produced by Australia's finest artists. On display are some of our country's best-known artworks. The National Gallery of Victoria’s international art collection is housed in the original National Gallery of Victoria’s building, south of the Yarra. Opens Monday to Thursday from 10:00 am to 05:00 pm, Friday from 10:00 am to 09:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday from 10:00 am to 06:00 pm. Admission is free.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA — INTERNATIONAL ART

180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Phone: 03 9208 0222. The original gallery, now housing the gallery’s international collection. The Australian collection is at the Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square. The breadth and depth of the collection of international artwork reflect a philanthropic tradition, of which Melbourne can be justly proud. The International collections of the National Gallery of Victoria are regarded as the most comprehensive in the country; indeed, the collections truly rival in quality and depth the best in the world. The newly renovated National Gallery of Victoria International offers visitors some of the most prestigious names in international art history. Opens 09:00 am to 05:00 pm seven days. Admission is free.

SUNDAY’S MARKET at the ARTS CENTRE

Corner St Kilda and Southgate Roads, Southbank. Phone 03 9281 8581. More than just another flea market, The Sunday Market showcases over 150 stalls of Victoria's finest artisans' work. Stallholders must be selected after passing strident examination for the quality and diversity of their work. Melbourne is a Mecca for artists of every genre painters; sculptors, visual artists, musicians, and thespians.

Gifted artisans and crafts people market their hand made wares from quaint shops, studios and bazaars where the artist, artisan, miner or crafts person by being on-hand, provides the visitor with the opportunity to buy, first hand. Do something daring buy original and be different. Every lady still drawing breath will fall in love with Melbourne's shopping; language is no barrier as most staff are multilingual. She will discover unique jewellers who create from rare diamonds coloured with hues of rose & champagne. Look on as the jeweller turns and polishes opal then facets gemstones. Tour Melbourne’s Markets and unearth aromatic leatherwear of distinction, alluring pelts taken from the kangaroo, crocodile, barramundi, emu and flamboyant sea snakes. Artwork may be found everywhere on canvas, ceramics, glass, metals, textiles, earthenware, stoneware, terracotta and clay pots. Hideaway antiques stores and photo galleries must be prospected for that special little, "stumble upon". Rainforest timbers with richly coloured grains are shaped and sculptured as you watch on. Stylish boutiques and market stalls offer garments reflecting the colours, culture and lifestyle of Melbourne. Souvenir an inexpensive t-shirt or treat yourself to a one-off, hand sewn creation by a local couturier.

All stalls are under cover and the markets trade every Sunday of the year. The market is located over two levels, along St Kilda Road between the Concert Hall and Theatres building as well as in the undercroft of the Concert Hall.

MONASH GALLERY of ART

860 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill. Phone 03 9562 1569. Monash Gallery of Art is a key cultural facility and popular destination for art and photography enthusiasts. MGA mounts around 20 exhibitions a year. This constantly changing and diverse exhibition program ranges from historical to contemporary, both local and international artists drawn from a wide range of media including photography, fine art, craft and design. The Gallery consists of three exhibition spaces, a gift shop, licensed café and sculpture park. Specialising in Australian photography, the MGA Collection is recognised as one of the Nation's finest.

ARTPLAY

Birrarung Marr Street, Melbourne. Phone 03 9664 7900. ArtPlay is an exciting city attraction in Birrarung Marr, designed especially for children aged between 5 and 12 years. ArtPlay runs programs for school groups on weekdays as well as weekend and school holiday workshops for families and their children. Incorporates indoor and outdoor play areas, exhibition and performance spaces, ArtPlay offers a range of creative workshops where children can work alongside professional artists in a unique environment that encourages art, play, creativity and collaboration.

FAD GALLERY

14 Corrs Lane, Melbourne. Phone 03 9639 2700. Journey down Corrs lane, a small cobblestoned laneway and you will find a unique piece of Melbourne nightlife. Fad Gallery exhibits regularly; the walls are full of paintings, photographs and other art forms. Sink into the club chairs or lounge on the unusual mix of furniture, the style is one that was made famous by the speakeasies of the 1920's. Fad is the place to sit and chat or mingle with the locals and of course Fad Gallery's director Jonathan Halliday has many a colourful story.

HEIDE MUSEUM of MODERN ART

7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen. Phone 03 9850 1500. Heide is a public, not for profit, museum, boasting a unique combination of heritage, art, gardens and architecture. John and Sun Reed took up residence at Heidelberg in 1934 in a Victorian farmhouse they called Heide. Over the years they nurtured generations of artists and writers including Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Joy Hester and Danila Vassilieff who all formed part of the Heide Circle. The Museum maintains their philosophy of support for contemporary art.

THE HEIDELBERG SCHOOL — THE ARTISTS TRAIL

Finn's Reserve, Lower Templestowe. Phone 131 963. The Heidelberg School was the first significant art movement in Australia, covering Australian artists of the late 19th Century who followed plein air painting. The Heidelberg School Artists Trail, the first of its kind in Australia, includes a total of 52 colour, interpretative signs, following the history of internationally recognised artists including Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and Louis Buvelot. Start anywhere along the trail.

CENTRE FOR THE MOVING IMAGE (ACMI)

Federation Square. Corner Swanston and Flinders Streets, Melbourne. Phone 03 8663 2200. A museum of television, film and the digital media. Entry is free for much of the Centre, although charges apply for cinema screenings and certain programs and exhibitions. Screen gallery opens Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 05:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday from 10:00 am to 06:00 pm.

RMIT GALLERY

Storey Hall, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne. Phone 03 9925 1717. Vibrant public art and design gallery, presenting Melbourne's most far-reaching exhibition program, exploring all aspects of visual culture. It presents changing exhibitions of Australian and international design, including fashion, architecture, fine art, crafts, new media and technology.

BRUNO’S ART & SCULPTURE GARDEN

51 Falls Road, Marysville. Phone 03 5963 3513. Bruno Torf, originally from South America, brought his family here in 1995. As a sculptor and artist he wanted somewhere to exhibit his works of art, so he opened Bruno's Art and Sculpture Garden. There are over 280 pieces of his life's work on display in a rainforest sculpture garden setting.

KOZMINSKY ART

Upstairs, 421 Bourke Street, Melbourne. Phone 03 9670 1851. Large range of collectable Australian impressionist paintings, fine period paintings and contemporary works from Australia and Europe. The gallery’s services include picture framing, portraiture, restoration and valuation, as well as local and international research and acquisitions.

GRAINGER MUSEUM

University of Melbourne, Gate 13, Royal Parade, Parkville. Phone 03 8344 5270. Currently closed for renovations until February 2005. Opened in 1938, the Grainger Museum presents a permanent exhibition interpreting the life and times of renowned Australian concert pianist and composer Percy Grainger, as well as themed temporary exhibitions.

SKEPSI on SWANSTON

670 Swanston Street, Carlton. Phone 03 9348 2002. Original works by over 60 artists primarily Victorian. Includes glass works, paintings, ceramics, linocuts, drawings, sculpture, textile art, jewellery and metal design. All works are direct from the artist's studios or workshop.

AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CONTEMORARY ART

111 Sturt Street, Southbank. Phone 03 9697 9999. ACCA's purpose is to stimulate, identify, and articulate new ideas about current visual culture and to position itself as one of Australia's key contemporary arts organisation.

MONSALYAT

7 Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham. Phone 03 9439 7712 or 0418 549 541. Café, gallery and a series of unique and distinctive buildings built in 1938 in the European style, set in over 12 acres of parkland, featuring the Long Hall, Great Hall, the Stables Gallery and the bluestone chapel.

FALKNER GALLERY

35 Templeton Street, Castlemaine. Phone 03 5470 5853. Historic and contemporary fine arts, specialising in Australian and international etchings, engraving, linocuts, woodcuts, lithographs, serigraphs, monotypes, drawings, bookplates and photographs.

LITTLEWOOD & HART FINE ART GALLERY

91 Queensbridge Street, Southbank. Phone 03 9682 1851. The Littlewood and Hart Fine Art Gallery is the Victorian agent for artwork from Australia's most popular painter Pro Hart.

HANDWEAVERS & SPINNERS GUILD of VICTORIA

12-20 Shakespeare Street, Carlton North. Phone 03 9347 3008. View craftspeople working in this colourful gallery, beautiful hand spun, hand woven items on display.

OUTRE’ GALLERY

249-251 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. Phone 03 9642 5455. Specializes in art that is "out of the ordinary" retro, pop, underground and alternative, fantastique, comic, hot rod, the dark, macabre and beyond.

McCLELLAND GALLERY

390 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin. Phone 03 9789 1671. Outdoor Sculpture Park and gallery, features over 30 world-class sculptures, with a focus on Australian works.