It'll be Australia's largest contemporary gallery.
Victorians are in for a visual treat as the latest designs for Australia’s most extensive art gallery, NGV Contemporary, were revealed by the Andrews Labor Government on the 15th of March 2022.
Designed by Angelo Candalepas and Associates and selected by a notable jury, the gallery will take up 13,000 square metres of display space. It will feature a rooftop sculpture terrace and restaurant. The stunning gallery will take its home within Melbourne’s Southbank with an expansive view of the CBD, parklands and the Yarra Ranges.
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The National Gallery of Victoria comes as part of the Labor Government’s $1.7 billion investment into the transformation of the Melbourne Arts Precinct, which includes restoring the state theatre.
On top of becoming a globally recognised landmark to Melbourne, NGV Contemporary will have a lot to offer in the way of exciting new exhibitions and educational spaces, studios and scientific laboratories to conserve artwork.
The project will create over 11,000 new jobs for Victorians during its development, with the gallery looking to generate additional ongoing jobs when it opens in 2028.
The massive field will be included as a part of the Gallery’s key features and is larger than the playing surface at the MCG. This public parkland will help bring in more retail, hospitality and entertainment opportunities to the sector. It will offer more space for events, performances and new public art in the city.
Melbourne Arts Precinct plans to create public parklands that run along St Kilda Road, Southbank and through Melbourne’s riverfront. It will include iconic cultural destinations around the city, ultimately enveloping NGV Contemporary.
“With its uplifting and generous architecture, this design provides all Victorians with a timeless building for arts and culture that will be loved for generations,” says National Gallery of Victoria Director Tony Ellwood.
A team of 20 Victorian and Australian-based firms with varying expertise in architecture, design and engineering led by Candalepas and Associates will help deliver a globally-recognisable landmark to Melbourne’s CBD.
The winning design comes from a shortlisted two-stage process to create the best look for the new attraction, starting with an open call for submissions by Australian architects and design teams.
Candalepas and Associates Principal Angelo Candalepas looks forward to this exciting opportunity offered to Melbourne, “Melbourne is the cultural capital of this nation and NGV Contemporary marks its next great offering to the world. This building will be a beacon of the culture of our time.”
“We are adding Australia’s largest contemporary art gallery to an already amazing precinct – we’ll deliver a gallery and experiences that make Victorians proud,” says Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson.
“NGV Contemporary will be Australian designed and Australian made, creating thousands of local jobs and becoming an iconic reference for our great city on a global stage.”
Early construction works on NGV Contemporary will begin in the next year, with full completion expected by 2028. You can read the announcement made by the Andres Labour Government here.
