Melbourne's must-see exhibitions

A colourful art exhibition with a sculpture and letter painting on the walls.

From giant interactive installations to pop-up galleries featuring internationally renowned art, these exhibitions cannot be missed.

Free exhibitions

Black and white photograph from the 1960s of model, Twiggy, wearing a mini-dress at the Melbourne Cup.
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Swinging 60s

This exhibition looks at what it was like to live in Victoria during the 1960s.

Two people seated below a neon sign.
Until

The Story of the Moving Image

A permanent exhibition that journeys through the past, present and future of the moving image.

Historic photo of protesters at a women's rights demonstration.
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Protest Melbourne

An exhibition about Victoria's long history of public protest.

Animator and filmmaker Adam Elliot working on a claymation set, adjusting characters.
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Making Memoir of a Snail

Explore handmade sets, props and characters from Adam Elliot's claymation film Memoir of a Snail.

A woman walking through a display with shelves of military-style food packages.
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Taste of Combat

Honouring the vital work of the Catering Corps and the evolution of military food.

Man wearing traditional Italian dress - red hat, green waistcoat, holding an Italian flag in front of the Exhibition Building.
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Italian Festa and Expo

Celebrating all thing Italian at the Royal Exhibition Building and Museum Plaza.

A person's hands holding up a timber-framed oil painting of a farmland landscape with blue skies.
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Maria Radun: In the Moment

Oil paintings inspired by the diverse landscapes of Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

Installation view of the Spartans & Anzacs exhibition at the Shrine of Remembrance, with people walking around the space, reading panels and looking at displays.
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Spartans & Anzacs

This exhibition invites reflection on the enduring values forged in conflict.

Black and white photograph of a busy Melbourne city intersection with trams, cars, people crossing the road, and buildings, dating from around the 1950s or 1960s.
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Making Modern Melbourne

This free exhibition examines the tumultuous twentieth century in Melbourne.

View of Melbourne from across the Yarra River
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St Michael’s Grammar School: Twelve

An exhibition celebrating St Michael’s Grammar School's Visual Art and Design Graduates of 2026.

A realist artwork of mandarins nestled in white fabric.
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Genevieve Gadd-Carolan: Always A Student

A reflection of the commitment to the lifelong pursuit of learning and artistic discovery.

Low-angle, eye-level outdoor shot displays a sculpture replica of the Statue of Liberty's hand holding the green torch against a brown brick building facade on the right side of the frame, with tall skyscrapers against a blue sky in the background.
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Nick Crawford: Avenues

An exhibition of photographs made while walking the streets of New York City.

A black and white photograph of a family eating a meal at the family dining table circa 1950.
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You Have a New Memory

An exhibition that explores how and why we remember, through the lens of the Library's collections.

People seated and interacting with a screen monitor under a pink 'Delight' neon sign at an indoor bar venue.

Game in the Groove

Demo games from local game developers and students in a cosy bar space in the city.

A painting of a woman in a pink dress, against a blue background.
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Emily Dober: My World

Enjoy the world of artist Emily Dober in The Gallery at City Library.

A mixed-media artwork on an oversized playing card.
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The Community Art Card Project

Gallery visitors can engage in collaborative art-making to create an installation.

Two figures wearing gaming costumes standing at an illuminated games machine.
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Melbourne International Games Week

Australia's largest festival celebrating games and the people who make and play them.

Mossy bird's nest balanced between twig branches on a tree.
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Design X Nature

An outdoor exhibition of artworks exploring how natural systems inform creative practice.

A abstract artwork in shades of cobalt blue, red, and cream.
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Recurring Echoes: Liliana Barbieri

An exhibition celebrating 25 years of artistic practice by Liliana Di Lizio Barbieri.

An exhibition space showing lots of light fittings, lamps, desks and ornaments.
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Forty Years of Design Fringe

Anniversary exhibition celebrating four decades of experimental and radical design in Melbourne.

Blockbuster exhibitions

Two individuals talking to each other inside Melbourne Museum at night, with blue lighting.
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Nocturnal: Museum After Dark

Experience Melbourne Museum after hours, when the doors stay open and the night belongs to adults.

Events, talks and tours

A wall covered in framed images and photographs and displayed very close together.

Art and Heritage Collection Tour

Take a free guided tour of the art and heritage collection at Melbourne Town Hall.

People on a small tour at the Immigration Museum, in an empty room with columns and a tiled floor.

Immigration Museum Guided Highlights Tour

Gain new perspectives on immigrant life at this must-visit destination.

Last updated on Mon 3 Nov 2025

Only In The City

Only in the City
Inside a bustling market hall

Things you can only see in the city

Uncover secret rooms, historic architecture and iconic landmarks found only in the city.

A family of four standing in a grand library with antique desks, large white walls and a dome ceiling.

Things you can only do in the city

There's only one place to find these rare Melbourne experiences and secret spots.

Multiple plates on a white table cloth.

Things you can only eat in the city

Where to find the city's most iconic dishes.

Discover more

People in a corridor viewing artwork the walls.
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We Belong – Art Exhibtiion

Experience the creativity, identity and perspectives of deaf and hard of hearing young people.

Art photograph of a female floating on water viewed from above.
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Physis: Elemental Bodies

An exhibition of works by photographic artist Lilli Waters.

An abstract oil painting depicting a dark, surreal bar or restaurant scene filled with stylised, ghost-like figures.
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Stirling Caiulo: There’s No Hiding From the Blood Moon

An exhibition of visual art, text and sound from artist Stirling Caiulo.

Artwork by Margaret Preston depicting Banksia flowers in a pot.
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Margaret Preston

NGV's new retrospective exhibition on Margaret Preston.