2006 

16 Dec 2006 – 22 Apr 2007

Lucio Fontana and John Nixon(A Dialogue)

Australian artist John Nixon presents his work Silver Monochrome 2006 in conjunction with Lucio Fontana’s Spatial concept 1964-65. Conceived as a dialogue between two paintings, this project draws attention to the similarities and differences between the artists’ approaches and is underpinned by Nixon’s interest in the history and materiality of modernist painting.

16 Dec 2006 – 08 Jul 2007

SneakersClassics to Customs

Sneakers are one of the most exciting and fast-changing phenomena in youth fashion today. This exhibition features 300 of the most coveted examples that have become emblems of style over the past three decades and examines the evolution of sneakers from functional sportswear to cult fashion. 

09 Dec 2006 – 01 Apr 2007

ProofContemporary Australian Printmaking

The printed image, with its unique capacity to be reproduced in multiple versions, offers fertile ground for contemporary artists. This exhibition samples recent printmaking practice, featuring a selection of contemporary works from the NGV's permanent collection of Australian prints by artists including Mike Parr, Lesley Duxbury and Milan Milojevic.

30 Nov 2006 – 04 Feb 2007

Juan Davila

Chilean-born Juan Davila, who relocated to Australia in 1974, is a passionate advocate of the need for art to debate issues of social and political significance. Juan Davila is the first major museum exhibition of the artist’s work and features his epic 1980s murals, Chilean pieces and new work created for the exhibition. 

17 Nov 2006 – 25 Feb 2007

Howard Arkley

The singular vision of Australian artist Howard Arkley (1951–1999) developed throughout a career spanning three decades. This retrospective represents comprehensively the evolution of Arkley's oeuvre from the early 1970s to the final major works with which he was represented at the Venice Biennale in 1999.

04 Nov 2006 – 01 Apr 2007

After Image:Social Documentary Photography in the 20th century

This exhibition brings together a selection of 38 images by American, Australian, British, European and South African photographers active from the 1870s to the early 1980s. All the photographs presented possess a memorable quality, something thought-provoking that lingers in our consciousness.

13 Oct 2006 – 25 Mar 2007

Picture to PrintReproductive prints in the NGV Collection

This exhibition explores elements of the fascinating history of reproductive printmaking from the 16th to the late 19th centuries. Selected from the NGV Collection, Picture to Print presents paintings and drawings by Parmigianino, Boucher, Highmore, Stubbs and Turner, exhibited together with the prints they inspired.

12 Oct 2006 – 19 Nov 2006

Melbourne International Arts Festival: Brook AndrewYOU'VEALWAYSWANTEDTOBEBLACK

Brook Andrew is an interdisciplinary artist who comments on racial, social and political issues in Australia and internationally. He is known for his particular perspective in unveiling different historical 'truths'. This Melbourne International Arts Festival commission is inspired by his screen print portraits of boxer Anthony Mundine.

05 Oct 2006 – 12 Mar 2007

IkatAsian resist dyed textiles

Ikat explores the Asian textile tradition by focusing on a particular technique of textile embellishment that is employed throughout the region. Drawn predominantly from the NGV Collection, this exhibition explores a range of motifs and media and the context of Asian ikat textiles and costume.

29 Sep 2006 – 29 Apr 2007

Thomas HarrisonMilliner

By the late 1930s, Thomas Harrison was Melbourne's best-known milliner and his hats were coveted by women from all over Australia. This exhibition of more than50 hats from the NGV Collection celebrates Harrison's legacy, ingenuity and versatility as a bespoke milliner and examines his rich visual, historical and material vocabulary.

07 Sep 2006 – 18 Feb 2007

Light SensitiveContemporary Australian Photography from the Loti Smorgon Fund

Despite the photo-rich days we live in, large-scale surveys of Australian photography are relatively rare. Light Sensitive seeks to address this by presenting a major exhibition of work by Australian photographers including Brook Andrew, Patricia Piccinini, Simon Cuthbert, Cherine Fahd, Rebecca Ann Hobbs, Simon Obarzanek, Selina Ou and Deborah Paauwe.

07 Sep 2006 – 03 Dec 2006

Six good reasons to stay at homeHiraki Sawa video works

Hiraki Sawa’s home is both the backdrop and inspiration for most of the works in Six good reasons to stay at home. In the whimsical world of Sawa’s videos, domestic space becomes a place of wonder, but our voyeuristic inclusion within this world frequently edges towards the surreal.

24 Aug 2006 – 22 Oct 2006

2006 Clemenger Contemporary Art Award

This triennial exhibition and award celebrates the ongoing achievement of some of Australia’s most distinguished contemporary artists. Established by Joan and Peter Clemenger through a generous gift to the NGV in 1991, the award is national in scope and brings into dialogue the works of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists.

11 Aug 2006 – 15 Oct 2006

Charles BlackmanAlice in Wonderland

Celebrated Australian artist Charles Blackman is renowned for his images that explore the duality of life. His Alice in Wonderland series blends iconic motifs from Lewis Carroll's fantastic journey into the imagination with Blackman's personal life. The results are challenging images that are simultaneously amusing and disquieting.

30 Jun 2006 – 08 Oct 2006

PicassoLove & War 1935–1945

Picasso: Love & War 1935–1945 explores the personal and artistic relationship between Pablo Picasso and his lover and muse of those years, Dora Maar. The exhibition features more than 300 works and has been curated by Anne Baldassari, Director of the Musée Picasso, Paris.

07 Jun 2006 – 03 Sep 2006

2006 Cicely & Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award

Established to support Victorian artists, this award is arguably the most prestigious of its kind in Australia and a reflection of the NGV’s ongoing commitment to contemporary craft and design practice. Exhibitions associated with the award are devoted to a particular design discipline: in 2006 the focus is on jewellery.

03 Jun 2006 – 01 Oct 2006

The Paris EndFashion, Photography & Glamour

During the first decades of the 20th century, the ‘Paris end’ of Collins Street, as it was affectionately known, was a popular home to the artistic community of Melbourne. This exhibition brings together commercial and fashion photography from the 1900s to the 1950s reflecting the changing face of Melbourne.

24 May 2006 – 24 Sep 2006

Rembrandt 1606-1669From the Prints and Drawings collection

This exhibition pays tribute to Rembrandt, an artist of unequalled stature in the history of art who is renowned for his paintings but also for his prints and drawings. Presenting Rembrandt’s most celebrated prints, the exhibition enables audiences to fully appreciate the artist’s extraordinary vision and exceptional and experimental technique.

13 May 2006 – 22 Oct 2006

American BeautyPhotographs of the American Social Landscape 1930s–1970s

American Beauty features work by documentary photographers who explored the significance of the American vernacular from the 1930s to the 1970s. Ranging in tone from the critical to the playful, the photographers’ works are united by their passionate regard for how the American people express themselves in their physical universe.

10 May 2006 – 23 Jul 2006

Deborah HalpernAngel

This exhibition coincides with the installation of Deborah Halpern's sculpture Angel on the Yarra bank at Birrarung Marr, a spectacular site for what is one of Melbourne's most loved works of public art. This exhibition surveys Halpern's practice and places Angel in the fuller context of her artistic career.