Giambattista TIEPOLO<br/> <em>The Banquet of Cleopatra</em> (1743-1744) <!-- (recto) --><br /> oil on canvas<br /> 250.3 x 357.0 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Felton Bequest, 1933<br /> 103-4<br /> <!--4409-->
Collection

International Art

In 1903, Melbourne businessman Alfred Felton bequeathed £383,163 to the NGV in his will. This gave the Gallery a pool of acquisition funds that, at the time, was greater than the National and Tate galleries in London combined. The Felton Bequest transformed the NGV’s holdings of painting and sculpture from Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of these works are in the NGV’s International Art collection, which in 170 years has grown to cover most of the key movements and artists from the early Middle Ages to 1980. The collection continues to grow and evolve today thanks to the NGV’s commitment to acquire more works by women and LGBTQI+ artists, which have been historically underrepresented in large public collections of international art.

Curators

Ted Gott
Senior Curator, International Art

Laurie Benson
Curator, International Art

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

NGV International

French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® 2025 6 Jun – 5 Oct 25, ticketed
NGV International

Plans For The Planet

Olaf Breuning For Kids 6 Jun – 5 Oct 25, free entry
NGV International

International Art

From the NGV Collection Ongoing, free entry

Events

NGV International
International Collection Highlights Tour

11am, tomorrow, free

(48 more times)
NGV International
French Impressionism from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Tour

2.30pm, tomorrow, ticketed

(11 more times)
NGV International
Ways of Looking | Slow Looking Practice Nature in Art Professional Learning for Teachers

9.15am–1.15pm, 13 Sep, ticketed
NGV International
Talk: The Tale of Tiepolo

3.15–3.30pm, 20 Sep, free

Collection Highlights

Giambattista TIEPOLO<br/> <em>The Banquet of Cleopatra</em> (1743-1744) <!-- (recto) --><br /> oil on canvas<br /> 250.3 x 357.0 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Felton Bequest, 1933<br /> 103-4<br /> <!--4409--><br/><a class="col-link block" href="/explore/collection/work/4409"><strong>Collection page <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></strong></a> Giambattista TIEPOLO
The Banquet of Cleopatra
 (1743-1744) Thomas GAINSBOROUGH<br/> <em>Richard St George Mansergh-St George</em> (c. 1776-1780) <!-- (recto) --><br /> oil on canvas<br /> 230.2 x 156.1 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Felton Bequest, 1922<br /> 1223-3<br /> <!--3971--><br/><a class="col-link block" href="/explore/collection/work/3971"><strong>Collection page <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></strong></a> Thomas GAINSBOROUGH
Richard St George Mansergh-St George
 (c. 1776-1780) REMBRANDT Harmensz. van Rijn<br/> <em>Two old men disputing</em> (1628) <!-- (recto) --><br /> oil on wood panel<br /> 72.4 x 59.7 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Felton Bequest, 1936<br /> 349-4<br /> <!--4291--><br/><a class="col-link block" href="/explore/collection/work/4291"><strong>Collection page <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></strong></a> REMBRANDT Harmensz. van Rijn
Two old men disputing
 (1628) Claude MONET<br/> <em>Vétheuil</em> (1879) <!-- (recto) --><br /> oil on canvas<br /> 60.0 x 81.0 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Felton Bequest, 1937<br /> 406-4<br /> <!--4191--><br/><a class="col-link block" href="/explore/collection/work/4191"><strong>Collection page <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></strong></a> Claude MONET
Vétheuil
 (1879) Francis BACON<br/> <em>Study from the human body</em> (1949) <!-- (recto) --><br /> oil on canvas<br /> 147.2 x 130.6 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Purchased, 1953<br /> 2992-4<br /> © Francis Bacon/ARS, New York. Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia <!--3761--><br/><a class="col-link block" href="/explore/collection/work/3761"><strong>Collection page <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></strong></a> Francis BACON
Study from the human body
 (1949) Pablo PICASSO<br/> <em>Weeping woman</em> (1937) <!-- (recto) --><br /> oil on canvas<br /> 55.2 x 46.2 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Purchased by donors of The Art Foundation of Victoria, with the assistance of the Jack and Genia Liberman family, Founder Benefactor, 1986<br /> IC1-1986<br /> © Sucession Picasso/Copyright Agency <!--4256--><br/><a class="col-link block" href="/explore/collection/work/4256"><strong>Collection page <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></strong></a> Pablo PICASSO
Weeping woman
 (1937) Auguste RODIN<br/> <em>The thinker</em> (1881-1882); (1884) {cast} <!-- (front 3/4 left) --><br /> <em>(Le Penseur)</em><br /> bronze<br /> 71.6 x 38.3 x 57.7 cm<br /> National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<br /> Felton Bequest, 1921<br /> 1196-3<br /> <!--3582--><br/><a class="col-link block" href="/explore/collection/work/3582"><strong>Collection page <i class="fa fa-angle-right"></i></strong></a> Auguste RODIN
The thinker
(Le Penseur)
 (1881-1882); cast (1884)

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Art Tour – The European Grand Tour Art Highlights: The First Cloud & Anguish Louise Bouteiller’s Césarine de Houdetot, Baronne de Barante, reading Paul et Virginie With Senior Curator of International art, Ted Gott Edwin Landseer’s Scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream With Senior Curator of International art, Ted Gott

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The thought of the horse

Eva Christoff

 Still life with drapery

Cathy Leahy

 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner
Officer and waitress

Dr Ted Gott

 The crucifixion

Dr Ted Gott
Collection Focus: British Art

Explore historical British painting and sculpture at the NGV in detail, in which art offers perspectives into world history, politics, cultural change, family and nature across four centuries.

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