Melbourne's must-see exhibitions

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

A person is inside a modern art gallery looking up at a towering sculpture behind them is a large banner saying emergency

Free exhibitions

A Melbourne Fashion Week outdoor fashion capsule installation of fashion mannequins in a large glass rectangular case, displayed in a public space.
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Fashion Capsules

A diverse series of curated exhibitions in surprising locations across the city.

An asymmetrical pearl necklace featuring unique, double-pointed pearls arranged in a single strand that cascades into decorative loops and rings along one side.
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Lean In

A contemporary jewellery exhibition of three of Australia's most accomplished jewellers.

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 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.

Two women in a gallery with white walls and highly polished black floors observing two pieces of abstract photographic art hung on the wall.
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Andrew Browne: Lux Sublimata

A new exhibition of photo-based imagery on satin banners by Melbourne artist Andrew Browne.

An expressive, semi-abstract oil painting featuring a vibrant crowd of figures in warm red, yellow, and cool blue tones against a glowing background.
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Connections Art Exhibition

Connections is an art exhibition, for a cause that matters.

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.

Two young adults observing a sculpture in a gallery space with digital and scupltural displays.
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EMERGENCE[Y]

An exhibition exploring how adaptation in a world of flux unfolds in every layer of life.

Two people seated below a neon sign.
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The Story of the Moving Image

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

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.

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.

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.

Looking over a blurred shoulder at a table with books displayed.
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World of the Book

Experience the rare, the sacred and the iconic in this one-of-a-kind exibition.

A still from a videogame depicting a Chinese soldier fighting two warriors in front of an ancient Chinese temple.
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Feng Mengbo: Long March Restart

An free exhibition that playfully reimagines modern Chinese history as a videogame.

Old black-and-white photo of people seated on a bus, two women chatting, a man looking straight ahead.
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The Green Bus

Exhibition tracing Andrew Chapman's 55-year photographic journey through the streets of Melbourne.

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.

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.

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.

Abstract artwork.
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Twenty Melbourne Painters Society 108th Annual Exhibition

The 108th Annual Exhibition showcases current members’ work in the renovated VAS Galleries.

Close-up view of a hand-woven wall covering featuring a textured beige background with minimalist geometric designs.
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Camille Laddawan & Kokoro Kimura (JP): Aura

An exhibition of new works by Camille Laddawan and Kokoro Kimura (JP).

A contemporary Indigenous artwork featuring a black cockatoo against a vibrant pink and marbled background.
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Future Dreaming

Explore 217 original small artworks by First Nations artists in Victoria’s prisons.

People high up in a tree with red flowers
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a/part: Hoda Afshar

A selection of photographic and video projects by Melbourne-based artist Hoda Afshar.

Portrait of a woman with her face painted blue and embellished with gold stars, wearing a colourful, fan-like headdress.
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Passage: The Art of Atong Atem

NGV presents the first-ever major solo exhibition of contemporary artist Atong Atem.

Abstract artwork of flowers in reds and pinks.
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Jo Davenport: Under the Same Sky

Capturing the changeable experience of landscape through gesture, colour and embodied memory.

Light grey textured bark fragments placed on a warm, golden-brown metallic or painted surface.
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Jessica Row: If a tree falls in the urban forest

An exhibition by Jessica Row inspired by the trees in naarm/Melbourne.

Head and shoulders of a stuffed thylacine
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Jodie Grillmeier: Remembering the Thylacine

Photographic portraits from museum collections reflecting the legacy of the thylacine.

Painting of a large brick building on a corner with a tree in the foreground and some parked cars.
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Victorian Artists Society Christmas Salon

This showcase celebrates small and affordable artworks perfect for holiday gifting.

A still from a futuristic looking film showing a woman in a green suit running down a green toned streer.
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NGV Triennial

NGV Triennial unfolds across all floors of NGV International, showcasing over 80 works.

Blockbuster exhibitions

Two theatrical costumes on display in front of a red curtain, featured in the ENCORE! exhibition at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts.
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Encore!

50 Objects. 50 Years. One Collection. Treasures from the Australian Museum of Performing Arts.

An ancient Roman marble bust with its nose chipped off, displayed on a small square plinth.
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Rome: Empire, Power, People

This Melbourne-exclusive exhibition is a vibrant exploration of Ancient Rome.

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.

Barbie dolls from an exhibition, specifically featuring a light-skinned doll with a 1959-inspired look and a dark-skinned doll with braided hair, against a pink background.
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Barbie: The Exhibition at Melbourne Museum

Barbie: The Exhibition makes its Australian debut at the Melbourne Museum.

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.

A group of people listening to a guide speaking in the forecourt of the Shrine.

Shrine Tours

Experience more at the Shrine with a guided tour.

Outside of the Melbourne Town Hall building, as seen from Swanston Street.

Melbourne Town Hall Tours

Take a tour of one of Melbourne's most iconic buildings.

The back of a group of people on a walking tour in front of a group leader with his hands in the air at Parliament House.
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City Lunchtime Walk

See interesting Melbourne architecture in your lunch break.

A sepia-toned photograph of the interior of a grand, classical-style library hall with a high ceiling and massive fluted columns lining both sides.
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Haunted Library Tour

Uncover Library mysteries, unexplained encounters and intriguing collection items on an guided tour.

A tour guide with his hand in the air working in Melbourne's City Square.
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Building Creative Melbourne

A walking tour exploring how architecture, art and big ideas shaped Melbourne.

The retro interior of a 1950s home with red carpet and amber chairs.
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Walsh Street Guided Tour

Explore Robin Boyd’s iconic residence at 290 Walsh Street on a guided tour.

People walking past stencil artwork of cats on a white wall in a Melbourne laneway.
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Art, History, Food and Wine Tour

The perfect introduction to Melbourne – street art, curious tales, wine tasting and tapas.

A drawer with compartments containing novelty glasses.
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Collection Store Tours

Experience unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the Australian Performing Arts Collection.

Two people standing in a grand portico with stone arches.

Melbourne Heritage Interiors

Join author Kristine Slawinski and designer Phil Campbell at East Melbourne Library.

A gold-coloured metal pendant with a circular top section and a rectangular bottom section, featuring embossed abstract patterns, with blurred people working at a craft table in the background.

Tokens, Talismans and Tamata

Create your own ornaments inspired by historic offerings and imagery in this festive workshop.

Last updated on Mon 19 Oct 2026

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.