Extraordinary Women

Mildura Arts Centre in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria

Opening at Mildura Arts Centre (MAC) in October 2025, Extraordinary Women: Works from the NGV Collection celebrates the brilliance, defiance and creativity of women across centuries. Drawn exclusively from the NGV Collection, the exhibition offers a compelling reflection on how female identity has been shaped by artistic representations of women.

Organised into four thematic sections, the exhibition traces the ways women have navigated and reshaped their public and private identities over time. ‘Best Foot Forward’ examines the carefully curated personas and the public-facing images created by women appearing at court or onstage from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. ‘Celebrity’ presents paintings, photographs and fashion commemorating notable Australian women working in music, cinema, literature, sport, chemistry, design and theatre. ‘Independence and Empowerment’ focuses on artists who use their work to reclaim power and autonomy, challenging societal expectations of gender. ‘Embodied Histories’ foregrounds First Nations and culturally diverse artists whose works challenge colonial portrayals of identity.

Extraordinary Women: Works from the NGV Collection is organised by Mildura Arts Centre in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria.

The NGV sincerely thanks AWM Electrical for their incredible support towards numerous Australian galleries, and we warmly acknowledge their outstanding leadership in enhancing Australia’s cultural landscape.