Reflection of National Gallery of Australia: A Journey Through Art and Culture

Running head: REFLECTION OF NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
REFLECTION OF NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
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REFLECTION OF NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
Introduction
The National Gallery of Victoria in Australia is one of the major tourist attractions and a
symbol Australia’s pride. The National Gallery of Victoria, abbreviated as NGV, is the country’s
coveted art museum and is one of its kinds in Australia. It is most visited and oldest gallery in the
country and is situated over two splendid buildings. The first is NGV International and the
second one is Ian Potter Center: NGV Australia. The NGV has the distinction of holding the
most brilliant collection of art and has over 70,000 works in exhibition. These works of art span
thousands of years, styles and discipline (Ngv.vic.gov.au, 2019).
Background
The Government of Victoria with an initial pledge of 2000 Australian Dollars initiated
the foundation of the National gallery in 1861. The idea was conceived in 1851 when Victoria
separated from New South Wales in 1850. Governor Sir Henry Barkly opened the Museum of
Arts in May 1861 (Ngv.vic.gov.au, 2019). The plan was rolled into action after the approval of
the Cabinet ministry and Nicholas Chevalier was appointed after a brief competition for
designing the museum.
The building was finally concluded in 1861 after an enormous effort of eleven years. The
The Ian Potter Gallery was opened in November 2002 and named after philanthropist Sir ian
Potter. The Museum being a part of the parliamentary triangle with the Parliament House at the
apex and the National Library of Australia being at the one end is complemented by the High
Court of Australia and the National Museum. Nicholas Chevalier was the man behind the
designing and the development of the plan for the National Gallery of Victoria. The works of

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REFLECTION OF NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
British and Victorian artists were first displayed at the Picture gallery in December 1864. On
May 24, 1874, the MacArthur Gallery, the first purpose built gallery was built (Ngv.vic.gov.au,
2019).
Site Visit:
A visit to the National gallery of Victoria provides a unique experience with its vast
range of collection from around the world and the preservation of the heritage cultures of the
Aborigines. The most interesting fact about the visit include the engaging experience that the
National gallery offers and allows the visitor to connect himself or herself with the art
installations that reflect the heritage of Australia and the world through the exhibits at the
Gallery. Initially, I was quite puzzled to decide which section to choose from for beginning my
tour. The NGV International has segregated sections according to their various collections and
has categorised them according to Australian Art, Pacific Art, Asian Art, Indigenous Art and the
Europe and American Art and have exhibits and artistic pieces from these regions. The most
alluring point in the character of the National gallery is the architecture of the National gallery
which is based on the geometric symmetry and has a unique balance in its triangular form. In fact
the architect Nicholas Chevalier wanted the structure to be flexible and unanimous in its
appearance irrespective of its location. The interior decoration and designing of the floors and
the ceilings are perfectly in tune with the objective of the gallery. The Gallery is constructed in
three different layers and displays the Aboriginal Memorial within the main entrance hall explicit
the heritage of Australia. The Ian Potter Center: NGV Australia is home to wide range of
Australian art and craft that are on display. With over 20,000 works of Australian art, Ian Potter
Center boasts as a symbol of Australia’s Heritage (Ngv.vic.gov.au, 2019). Another feature was