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.
Until

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.
Until

Protest Melbourne

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

Animator and filmmaker Adam Elliot working on a claymation set, adjusting characters.
Until

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.

An oil painting depicting a scene from a Moroccan courtyard in earthy warm tones.
Until

Susannah Bond and Melissa Fraser: Oceans Apart

Contemporary oil paintings capturing the recent travels of artists Melissa Fraser and Susannah Bond.

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

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.
Until

Making Modern Melbourne

This free exhibition examines the tumultuous twentieth century in Melbourne.

A little girl looking at a colourful display of cushions in an art gallery.
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Children's Play: Ragnar Kjartansson

A new children's exhibition by Ragnar Kjartansson, inspired by the idea of a theatrical feast.

An Australian landscape watercolour painting by Maxine Wade, of a large gum tree by a body of water, in muted shades of green, blue, tan and cream.
Until

Maxine Wade: Land For Sale

This exhibition features Australian landscapes painted in watercolour.

A black and white photograph of a family eating a meal at the family dining table circa 1950.
Until

You Have a New Memory

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

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 geometric-shaped portrait of a seated woman with red hair wearing a green dress.
Until

Mark Niehus: Different Midnights

A collection of paintings, moving image and free verse that explore the experience of solitude.

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.

Three First Nations artists posing for a group shot in front of large artworks in a gallery.

Ngura Walkatjunanyi: Marking and Painting Country - Opening

A celebration of matriarchal lineage and intergenerational survival.

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 person in a gallery setting looking at a sculpture of an oversize wooden pipe with a sculpture of a giant peeled mandarin balanced on the pipe.
Until

Poetry Goes No Further Than Language

Explore a moment in mid-1980s China when a group of artists began to question values about art.

Small hands over a glittery surface.

Family Art Day at ACCA

A free art-making program designed for families with young children at ACCA.

People on deck chairs watching a movie in Fed Square on a large screen.

What's free in Melbourne this month

Everything to see, do and enjoy in Melbourne for free this month.

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 tour at the Immigration Museum, looking over a table with a video display.

Immigration Museum Guided Highlights Tour

Immigration Museum Guided Highlights Tour

Last updated on Mon 3 Nov 2025

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

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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.

A painting of a bear's face alongside a helmeted person with a landscape painted into the rectangular eye opening.
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Ponch Hawkes and Ian Bracegirdle: Sex Death Country

Ponch Hawkes and Ian Bracegirdle explore themes of belonging in this exhibition of paintings.

A line of woman holding guitars in an identical pose on a stage in front of a green curtain.
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Ragnar Kjartansson: Mercy

NGV presents a major solo exhibition of Icelandic artist, Ragnar Kjartansson.