Melbourne is simply bursting with galleries and art exhibitions for culture-seekers in need of an enriching day out. Spend a day strolling around a gallery and admiring incredible artworks and installations, whether it’s at a blockbuster art event, or a fab free exhibition. Whether you’re looking for something to do now, or aiming to book in a future visit, here are the most exciting current and upcoming art exhibitions for you to discover in Melbourne.
The cream of the crop that you can see right now, from paid entry to free art exhibitions.
1. The Art of Banksy: “Without Limits”, District Docklands
Until December 21, 2024
With 2.1 million visitors worldwide, The Art of Banksy is a powerhouse of an art exhibition that’s already made stops in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney. Now at District Docklands through the rest of the year, it’s the most complete Banksy exhibition ever staged, featuring over 240 artworks, including stencilled images, sculptures, and various drawings and paintings. There’s even an infinity room! Art exhibitions don’t come much cooler than this.
📍 Level 1/116 Studio Lane, Docklands VIC 3008
🎟️ Adult tickets from $52.50. More info here.
2. Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius, The Lume
Until December 8, 2024
Take a journey back in time, and explore the genius of Leonardo da Vinci at The Lume. Step into the 3,000m² space, and watch some of the worlds most famous artworks come to life, like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. There are also “machine inventions” on loan from the Museo Leonardo da Vinci in Rome, as well as a 360º replica of the Mona Lisa painting.
📍 5 Convention Centre Pl, South Wharf VIC 3006
🎟️ Adult tickets from $49.90. More info here.
3. SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed, Science Gallery Melbourne
Until May 31, 2025
Developed in tandem with ArtScience Museum in Singapore, this dreamlike exhibition looks at Eastern philosophy and its impact on modern sci-fi, alongside the role of First Nations storytelling. Expect multidisciplinary art installations and thought-provoking interrogations of our obsessive with science fiction.
📍 114 Grattan St, Parkville VIC 3052
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
4. Accidentally Wes Anderson, 360 Bourke St
Until November 24, 2024
The whimsical, quirky aesthetic of Wes Anderson films comes to life in Melbourne with this enchanting exhibition, based on the popular Instagram account and book of the same name. Accidentally Wes Anderson offers you the chance to step into a cinematic oeuvre like no other, so don’t miss your shot!
📍 360 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
🎟️ Adult tickets from $29. More info here.
5. Lee Bul: Untitled, NGV International
Until January, 2025
Korean artist Lee Bul has made a career out of unsettling sculptures that pushes the limits of humanity, inspired by science fiction and anime to create forms that go beyond the human body. Untitled was originally produced for the NGV, and is currently making its first appearance at the gallery in more than a decade.
📍180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3006
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
6. Honk! Untitled Goose Exhibition, ACMI
Until February 16, 2025
The goose on the loose that captivated gamers around the world back in 2019 gets a well-deserved, playful exhibition at ACMI. Born in Melbourne to developers House House, the award-winning Untitled Goose Game is the subject here, with the exhibition featuring sketches, concept art, and even playable early versions of the game, displayed in public for the first time. Honk if you’re in!
📍 Fed Square, Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
7. Always Modern: The Heide Story, Heide Museum of Modern Art
Until June 1, 2025
Telling the museum’s story as a haven for modernism in Australia under the patronage of the Reed family, this fond recollection looks at works from painters including Moya Dyring, Arthur Boyd, Joy Hester, Charles Blackman, and Mirka Mora.
📍 7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen VIC 3105
🎟️ Adult tickets from $25, free for members. More info here.
8. REKOSPECTIVE: The Art of Reko Rennie, The Ian Potter Centre at NGV Australia
Until Jan 27, 2025
An immersive exhibition that puts the career of Reko Rennie under the microscope, this display blends new and old works that explore Rennie’s Kamilaroi heritage, and the dialogue that creates with a life in modern Melbourne. Unfolding chronologically, expect an interrogation of culture, identity, and more at this art exhibition.
📍 Fed Square, Melbourne VIC 3000
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
9. Tony Clark: Unsculpted, Buxton Contemporary
Until June 1, 2025
Acclaimed Australian artist Tony Clark helped develop this exhibition of his 40-year career, which focuses on his interest in sculptures, depicted through his painting. It’s an intriguing look at how two dominant art disciplines interact and intersect with one another.
📍 Corner Southbank Boulevard & Dodds St, Southbank VIC 3006
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
10. Cats & Dogs, The Ian Potter Centre at NGV Australia
Until July 20, 2025
Are you a cat person, or a dog person? No need to choose at this adorable exhibition, which features over 250 artworks and designs, from artists both contemporary and classic, such as Rembrandt.
📍 Fed Square, Melbourne VIC 3000
🎟️ Adult tickets are $16. More info here.
11. Molto Bello: Icons of Modern Italian Design, Heide Museum of Modern Art
Until March 23, 2025
Achingly stylish Italian design is in the spotlight here, dating from the 1930s and the first Milan Design Triennale to the 1980s. Expect to see objects such as lamps, chairs, typewriters, and even the classic Vespa, and to covet them all.
📍 7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen VIC 3105
🎟️ Adult tickets from $25, free for members. More info here.
12. Tennant Creek Brio: Juparnta Ngattu Minjinypa Iconocrisis, ACCA
Until November 17, 2024
Art collective Tennant Creek Brio receives a first major exhibition at the Australia Centre for Contemporary Art. The group’s members, who first formed the collective in 2016, take themes such as cross-cultural identity, First Nations traditions, and resilience for their work, which often incorporates salvaged materials.
📍 111 Sturt Street, Southbank VIC 3006
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
13. Albert Tucker’s Grotesques, Heide Museum of Modern Art
Until March 9, 2025
Horrified by the bloody wars of the early 20th century, and disturbed by the pace of modernisation, Albert Tucker turned to painting the grotesque to channel his despair. It’s striking stuff, and this exhibition is your chance to fully appreciate it.
📍 7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen VIC 3105
🎟️ Adult tickets from $25, free for members. More info here.
Put these dates in your diary for more incredible art exhibitions, arriving in Melbourne soon!
14. Van Gogh, The Lume
From December 26, 2024
Everyone loves a comeback story, right? After a much-vaunted run at The Lume, the immersive digital Van Gogh exhibition returns for a second kick at the can, from Boxing Day. If you missed it the first time, there’s no excuses for forgetting the second time around…
📍 5 Convention Centre Pl, South Wharf VIC 3006
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
15. 12th Koorie Art Show
From December 7, 2024 until February 23, 2025
In this free exhibition at the Koorie Heritage Trust, you’ll see over 100 creative pieces from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in Victoria. See paintings, drawings, weavings, ceramics, carvings and digital media, and happily, all of the works presented are available for sale.
📍 Fed Square, Melbourne VIC 3000
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
16. Yayoi Kusama, NGV
From December 15, 2024, until April 21, 2025
Our Lady of the Pumpkins gets a massive summer showcase at NGV, taking over the entire ground floor to showcase over 180 Kusama artworks. Charting the scope of her entire career, it’s expected to be one of the most comprehensive Yayoi Kusama retrospectives ever mounted, and stands out as a true highlight of Melbourne’s summer calendar.
📍180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3006
🎟️ Adult tickets are $38. More info here.
17. Notre-Dame de Paris, the Augmented Exhibition, The Immigration Museum
From December 5, 2024
Years after the devastation of Notre Dame in a terrible fire, this augmented reality exhibition will allow you to explore the Parisian icon without leaving Melbourne. It’s been created by digital heritage specialists, Histovery, along with Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris, and the experience will walk you through 850 years of history.
📍 400 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000
🎟️ Adult tickets are $15, included with museum entry. More info here.
18. French Impressionism, NGV
From June 6, 2025 until October 5, 2025
After the first attempt was thwarted somewhat by a global pandemic, NGV brings back a showstopping art exhibition dedicated to French Impressionism. Over 100 paintings will be featured – some never before seen in Australia – from artists such as Monet, Degas, Renoir, and more. Definitely one for your diary!
📍180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3006
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
19. The Charge That Binds, ACCA
From December 7, 2024 until March 16, 2025
In the face of a climate emergency, The Charge That Binds mounts a multidisciplinary response to the disruptive, destructive forces threatening the natural world, for what should be a powerful, urgent exhibition.
📍 111 Sturt Street, Southbank VIC 3006
🎟️ Free to visit. More info here.
20. Frida Kahlo: In her own image, Bendigo Art Gallery
From March 15, 2025 until July 13, 2025
In an opportunity to explore the wider Victorian art scene, the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico is lending select works that haven’t been seen in Australia to Bendigo Art Gallery. Time for a little trip?
📍 42 View Street, Bendigo, VIC 3550
🎟️Entry price TBC. More info here.
21. PHOTO 2026: International Festival of Photography
Expected 2026
Australia’s largest photography festival is expected to return to Melbourne for a fourth edition in 2026, after PHOTO 2024 proved a smash-hit earlier this year. If its anything like previous editions, we can expect many free exhibitions and outdoor installations across seven Festival Precincts in Melbourne, as well as five cities in regional Victoria, featuring contemporary photographers and artists from Australia and around the world.
📍Victoria
🎟️ More info here.