Melbourne to build largest contemporary art gallery in Australia
ABC News | Andie Noonan
Victoria is hoping to secure its place as the country’s “cultural capital” with plans to build the largest contemporary art gallery in Australia. The Victorian Government said the gallery would be built at the Carlton and United Breweries site, behind the Arts Centre and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), as part of a new arts precinct in Southbank. The gallery will be known as NGV Contemporary, and will house contemporary art and design. Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley said it would cement Victoria as a global leader in the arts world. “The National Gallery of Victoria is one of the world’s top 20 contemporary art museums and now we’ll have an opportunity to have a dedicated contemporary art facility,” he said.
“This is a very, very exciting project. “And it’s not a question of whether it will happen, this is going to happen and the first stage is fully funded.” The State Government allocated about $150 million in the May budget to buy the Carlton and United Breweries site and start planning works. Mr Andrews said further funding would be announced at a later date, but he was certain “Melbourne’s philanthropic community” would support the gallery. The redevelopment, involving about 18,000 square metres of new and renewed public space, hopes to improve links between Southbank and the city’s main arts centres. It includes upgrades to theatres at the Arts Centre, an expanded Australian Music Vault, a new centre for small-to-medium arts organisations, a new pedestrian corridor with bars and restaurants, and bike tracks and more green space on Southbank Boulevard. The Government said the project was expected to create 10,000 jobs during the construction phase, and 260 ongoing jobs…read more
Image: The new contemporary art gallery will be built behind the NGV