The depiction of mother and child is one of the oldest and most enduring themes in art history. From ancient cave paintings to Renaissance frescos and contemporary depictions, artists have long engaged with the complex experiences of motherhood.
Learn about MOTHER: Stories from the NGV Collection, an exhibition that explores both universal and culturally specific experiences of motherhood, drawn from across the NGV Collection.
Bringing together over 200 works from the NGV Collection, MOTHER traverse geographies, cultures and mediums to explore experiences of motherhood, from intergenerational trauma and loss, mythology and religious iconography, and the deep connection between motherhood, nature and Country.
NGV curators Katharina Prugger and Eva Christoff introduce the exhibition exclusively for Members and their guests.
Katharina Prugger is Curator of Contemporary Art at the NGV. She holds a Master of Art Curatorship from the University of Melbourne and has over ten years of experience working in the field of contemporary art. Prior to joining the NGV during the lead up to the inaugural NGV Triennial in 2017, she worked at galleries in Berlin, Munich, London and Melbourne.
Eva Christoff is Curatorial Project Officer of Prints and Drawings at the NGV. Eva has a BA (Honours) in Art History from the University of Melbourne and an MA in Art History and Curating from the University of Birmingham. Before joining the NGV, she curated Mastering the Market: Dutch and Flemish Paintings from Woburn Abbey, 2022 at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, and acted as Curatorial Assistant on numerous exhibitions at Wolverhampton Art Gallery including Pop Art and Pottery, 2023 and Ed Isaacs: Drawing Places, 2023.