Winter art masterpieces in Melbourne this winter

Leoardo Di Vinci

Wrap yourself in Melbourne black as the temperature cools and the nights grow longer. Fires roar in bars and restaurants around the city and in neighbourhood watering holes. Live stages are just as hot. This is the season for scarves and beanies. To get out and barrack for your favourite sports team, whether they play Australian rules, rugby or basketball. It’s a time for red wine in laneway bars, boutique shopping, and blockbuster art shows under cover. A calendar of cosy events shows off Melbourne at its wintry best.

Discover the highly-anticipated Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® Pharaoh Exhibition. NGV International has partnered with the British Museum to bring this monolithic landmark exhibition exclusively to Melbourne as part of this year’s Winter Masterpieces. It features over 500 works celebrating three thousand years of ancient Egyptian art and culture. We’re talking monumental sculpture, architecture, temple statuary, exquisite jewellery, papyri, coffins, a rich array of funerary objects and more.

Other winter arts winners to book for include the immersive Leonardo Da Vinci at THE LUME Melbourne Exhibition, Melbourne's spectacular winter arts celebration, RISING; and Lightscape at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

The internationally exclusive blockbuster exhibition, Pharaoh, celebrates three thousand years of ancient Egyptian art and culture through more than 500...

RISING
Until 16 Jun 2024
RISING is a festival of new art, music and performance, in the heart of Naarm/Melbourne.

Emerging from Melbourne’s roots, RISING is an annual festival that spills out onto the city streets, car parks, churches, town square and beloved venues.

It’s a break from business as usual. A chance to connect as a city and with the ambitious artists who bring bold ideas that speak to this time and place.

RISING returns when winter begins. June 1 — 16 2024.

ACMI
Venture into Fed Square and explore the world of film, television and digital media with year-round exhibitions, rare screenings and cultural events.

Lightscape

Lightscape at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
14 Jun - 04 Aug 2024
The immersive Melbourne hit returns to transform Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne after dark with a reimagined trail and brand new installations. Surround yourself with the interactive Submergence as well as the beloved Winter Cathedral and Laser Forest at Fern Gully.

Enjoy delicious food at the welcome zone along with tasty treats at The Terrace Food Hall.

Lightscape promises to be an unmissable spectacle, make it a new tradition with family and friends. There’s no better way to celebrate winter in Melbourne!

Tickets are on-sale now – Don’t miss out!

Visitors to Lightscape make their way along a winding trail through Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne’s landscape, awash in artistic lighting design. Along the way, they’ll encounter large lighting sculptures, colourful lighting effects and an accompanying soundscape.

The trail begins at Observatory Gate and ends at Oak Lawn Gate (off Birdwood Ave, opposite the Shrine of Remembrance). Ticket times are staggered so groups can comfortably stroll the trail with family and friends.

Anytime pass tickets permit entry at any time (between first and last entry) on a chosen date.

General Admission tickets permit entry to a selected time-slot on a chosen date. Early Access pass tickets are available for the first session each day, providing a more intimate experience on the trail.

Off-peak tickets are available Tuesday – Thursday and standard tickets are available Friday – Sunday.

NGV International
See one of the most impressive collections of European, Asian, Oceanic and American art at this iconic Melbourne gallery.

Leonardo Da Vinci at THE LUME Melbourne
Until 16 Jun 2024
In a celebration of innovation, art and the timeless genius of Leonardo da Vinci, THE LUME Melbourne is thrilled to open an unparalleled showcase that promises to redefine the boundaries of immersive experiences.

Visitors have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to step inside the world of Leonardo, featuring original drawings and writings from the Codex Atlanticus, penned by the master himself. This is the first time in history the Codex Atlanticus has been in Australia, underscoring THE LUME Melbourne’s commitment to bringing this new extraordinary experience to Australia.

The showcase also features to-scale machine inventions brought to life by Italian artisans from the pages of Leonardo’s codices, the only exact 360º replica of Mona Lisa in the world, a brand new immersive experience in the enormous 3000 sqm multisensory gallery, cutting-edge AI and VR interactive technologies that breathe life into the master's iconic work, a Renaissance-themed culinary experience like no other in Caffé Medici, and more.

Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® Exhibition Pharaoh
14 Jun - 06 Oct 2024
The internationally exclusive blockbuster exhibition, Pharaoh, celebrates three thousand years of ancient Egyptian art and culture through more than 500 works on loan from the British Museum, including monumental sculpture, tomb and temple architecture, coffins and funerary objects, as well as a significant display of exquisite ancient Egyptian jewellery.

Curated especially for the National Gallery of Victoria by the British Museum as part of the Victorian Government’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® series, Pharaoh is the largest international exhibition the British Museum has ever presented in its 270-year history. With many works on display in Australia for the very first time, this Melbourne-exclusive presentation constitutes the single largest ancient Egyptian exhibition ever mounted in this country.

Exhibition organised by the National Gallery of Victoria in partnership with The British Museum, London.