AIX290 Site Report: Detailed Reflection on NGV Australia Visit

This report offers a reflection on a site visit to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Australia, examining its role in preserving and showcasing Australian art and culture. The report details the gallery's architecture, diverse collections, including Australian, Aboriginal, Asian, and European art, and its historical context. It explores the messages the NGV communicates about Australian history, focusing on the Aboriginal Memorial and other exhibits that reflect the nation's evolution. The report also touches on the gallery's controversies and its significance as a national and international asset, concluding with the importance of the NGV in fostering artistic freedom and cultural expression. References from the assignment brief are included to support the analysis.

Running head: REFLECTION OF NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
REFLECTION OF NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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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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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

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added to the NGV when in 1967, the first curatorial department was established entirely
dedicated to photography. The NGV photography gallery is one of the first in the world and
currently holds around 20,000 works.
The NGV also had its own share of controversies when it refused to rename the gallery
and remove the word “national” after the government initiated construction National Gallery of
Australia in Canberra, the country’s capital. Other states had changed the names of their
museums as the National Gallery of New South Wales was changed to Art Gallery of NSW.
Another controversy of NGV is that in 1986, the famous Picasso picture The Weeping Woman
(1936) was stolen. However, it was returned to the gallery undamaged two weeks later.
Question
What messages about Australian history and culture does the National Gallery of Victoria
communicate to visitors?
The National Gallery of Australia Exhibits the cultural heritage of Australia. The gallery has
been preserving and promoting Australia pieces of art that reflect the growth of the nation form
the Aborigines to the Whites, who consist of the major population currently. The gallery has
dedicated a section to the memory of the aborigines and 11 galleries have been dedicated to The
Aboriginal Memorial, which represent the rich heritage of the Australian nation are some of the
most valuable and important collections of the gallery. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Art display gives us an insight of Australia’s evolution from its origin to its current stature
(Morphy 2009). The expression of the history in the form of art by the Gallery has been well

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preserved in forms of several other artistic expressions that describes the past of the nation
(Ngv.vic.gov.au, 2019).
Conclusion:
The National Gallery of Victoria plays a formidable pat in the preservation and
displaying of art pieces and installations that have high national value. The visit to the gallery
enhances the inspiration and the pride of the visitors. The history of the National Gallery of
Victoria is enticing in all its form starting from its architecture to its assets. The National gallery
of Victoria is now a national Asset and has paramount importance in providing artistic freedom
and expression of heritage through the auspices of the Gallery. The Gallery not only is an asset
of national importance, but also holds considerable asset of international value. The various
artistic pieces from the Pacific and the Asian regions have added considerably to the value of the
Gallery, which allow a visitor to understand the different cultures across the world.

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References:
australia, n. 2019. National Gallery of Australia - Home. [online] Nga.gov.au. Available at:
https://nga.gov.au/ [Accessed 30 Jan. 2019].
Morphy, H., 2009. Seeing Aboriginal art in the gallery.
Ngv.vic.gov.au (2019). About the NGV | NGV. [online] Ngv.vic.gov.au. Available at:
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/about/ [Accessed 1 Feb. 2019].
Ngv.vic.gov.au (2019). NGV Collection | Australian art | NGV. [online] Ngv.vic.gov.au.
Available at: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/ngv-collection-australia/ [Accessed 1 Feb.
2019].