Melbourne likes to call itself Australia's cultural capital, and when it comes to visual art there's a strong case. It's home to Australia's oldest public art gallery, the birthplace of the Heidelberg School, the site of a farmhouse that became a centre for modernism, a contemporary art centre in a rust-red steel building and laneways that have become an open-air gallery. Beneath it all are the lands of the Kulin Nations, where art and culture have been made for tens of thousands of years.
Melbourne Art Network is an independent guide to all of it. Our guides explain the history behind what you see, help you plan visits to galleries, find your way around laneway street art and public sculpture, and buy art with confidence and care. Our art day planner helps you put it together into a day.
Art history
Discover the stories behind Melbourne's art. Our art history section covers:
- The Heidelberg School: plein-air painters and the 1889 9 by 5 exhibition.
- Heide and modern art: the Reeds, the Heide circle and the museum today.
- First Peoples art in Melbourne: where to see it and how to engage respectfully.
- A Melbourne art timeline: key moments since 1861.
Galleries
Plan visits and buy wisely. Our galleries section covers:
- Visiting the NGV: two sites and free entry to the collection.
- Contemporary art spaces: ACCA, artist-run initiatives and more.
- Buying art in Melbourne: budgets, questions and resale royalties.
- Buying First Nations art: buying ethically.
Public art
Explore the city's streets. Our public art section covers:
- Street art laneways: Hosier Lane and beyond.
- Melbourne's public art collection: sculpture and memorials.
- Self-guided art walks: three routes on foot.
- Street art and the law: permission and permits.
A gallery city with free entry
The NGV, founded in 1861, says it is Australia's oldest public art gallery. Its collection is displayed at NGV International on St Kilda Road and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square, and the NGV says entry to the State Collection is free, with some exhibitions ticketed. ACCA in Southbank, established in 1983 and in its current building since 2002, says entry is free too. That means you can see world-class art in Melbourne without spending anything.
A landmark moment in 1889
According to the NGV, the 9 by 5 Impression Exhibition opened in Melbourne on 17 August 1889, showing 183 small works by young artists including Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Charles Conder. Critics attacked it, but it became a landmark of what was later called the Heidelberg School, which the NGV describes as the first truly Australian art movement.
Modernism on the Yarra
John and Sunday Reed bought a former dairy farm in Bulleen in 1934. Their home, Heide, became a centre for modern art, linked with artists such as Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker and Joy Hester. Heide's history explains that it opened as a public museum in November 1981.
Art on the streets
The City of Melbourne says its Art and Heritage Collection contains more than 13,000 artworks and artefacts, including public art and memorials across the city. Add the laneways, where street art painted with permission sits alongside tags and paste-ups, and Melbourne's streets become a gallery that never closes. The council describes Hosier Lane as a long-standing exception where painting is tolerated.
Buying art with care
If you want to take art home, Melbourne's galleries, artist-run spaces, graduate shows and studios are full of opportunities. Australia's Resale Royalty Scheme gives eligible artists 5% when their work is commercially resold for $1,000 or more, including GST. For First Nations art, the Indigenous Art Code recommends buying from Code signatories, art centres or directly from artists.
Five tips for an art day
- Check opening hours and exhibitions before you go.
- Pick a focus, such as Australian art, contemporary art or street art.
- Walk between venues; central Melbourne is compact.
- Take breaks and leave time to linger.
- Look up, down and around: some of the best art is in the street.
Who we are
Melbourne Art Network is an independent information site. We write every guide in our own words, rely on authoritative sources such as the NGV, Heide, ACCA, Museums Victoria, the City of Melbourne, the Office for the Arts and the Indigenous Art Code, and list sources on every page. We don't sell art or accept payment for editorial coverage. Read more about us and our editorial policy.
