The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is the largest and oldest public art gallery and museum in Australia located at Melbourne. The architectural design of NGV was courtesy of Sir Roy Grounds and was redesigned by Mario Bellini. The proper name of the gallery stirred a controversy before since Victoria was not a nation but a state of Australia. Some critics suggested that the gallery has to be named ?Melbourne Gallery.? However, since NGV was founded during the colonization of Britain when Victoria was a self-governing colony, it has retained its name under its state. Today, it is known as NGV International which houses more than 65,000 diverse collections of art works from American, European, Oceanic, and Asian artists.

The art collections in NGV International are both purchased and donations. Today, the most expensive piece of art purchased in the history of the gallery is Paris Bordone?s masterpiece entitled ?The Rest on the Flight Into Egypt with Saint Catherine and Angels.? The work of Pablo Picasso is also one of the most sought exhibits in the gallery, specifically the original piece of ?The Weeping Woman? which was stolen last 1986. After a week, it was returned from a railway locker and claimed to have stolen by a group called Australian Culture Terrorists.

The gallery also offers a renowned world?s largest suspended stained glass works entitled Leonard French ceiling which crosses the gallery buildings. Also, one of the most popular art exhibits in NGV is the 1904 art work of Frederick McCubbin, The Pioneer. It also features original works of famous artists namely Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Paolo Veronese, Peter Paul Rubens, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Some historical pieces are also exhibited in NGV such as Greek, Eqyptian, and European artifacts.

The NGV International has free admission except for specific displays and exhibits in selected parts of the gallery. Its adjacent establishments have lots to offer for tourists and locals who want to enjoy and feel the Australian traditions. There are souvenir shops, caf?, and restaurants which offer mouth-watering Australian cuisines. It will be an amazing and remarkable trip for art enthusiasts and even students, families, and friends who are looking for an awe-inspiring glimpse of Australian culture and history.