You’ll soon be able to walk past the water wall once again, with the National Gallery of Victoria announcing it will reopen to the public from Saturday, June 27. Both the NGV International on St Kilda Road and NGV Australia (aka the Ian Potter Centre) will be reopening, though guests can expect their visit to look and feel a little bit different.
A range of health, hygiene and physical distancing measures will be in place. These include free timed ticketing, queue management, increased deep cleaning of facilities and more hand sanitiser stations.
Keep in mind that the NGV will have to adhere to the chief health officer’s directive concerning how many people can gather, limiting the number of people that could be allowed in any one space. On the June 27 reopening date, that number is expected to be up to 50 people per space, with four square metres for each person.
Prior to its official reopening on June 27, the NGV will open from June 22 to 26 to allow groups in the community who have additional challenges in visiting to access the gallery.
If you were hoping Kaws: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness or Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines would still be showing, we have bad news. Both blockbuster exhibitions closed on schedule, however, you can still take a virtual tour of both online.
With the NGV’s planned 2020 winter masterpiece exhibition postponed until 2023, you may be wondering what will be on show when the gallery reopens. In addition to the gallery’s sizeable permanent collection, guests will be available to see Collecting Comme, Japanese Modernism, Liquid Light: 500 Years of Venetian Glass and the 2019 architecture commission at the NGV International, as well as Top Arts 2020 at the Ian Potter Centre.
Next door, Arts Centre Melbourne will also be partially reopening on June 27 as well. Guests can take self-guided tours of the space, visit the Australian Music Vault and enjoy Ghostly Machines at Hamer Hall.
It's a cultural bonanza: Melbourne Museum will also reopen on June 27.
Plus here's everything that's open right now across Victoria.