MoMA at NGV exhibition attracts more than 100,000 visitors in first month

Since opening at the beginning of June, the National Gallery of Victoria’s MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art exhibition has attracted more than 100,000th visitors.

With only two other Melbourne Winter Masterpieces shows have surpassed it for first month attendance - The Impressionists in 2004 and Van Gogh and the Seasons in 2017 - NGV Director Tony Ellwood said the reaction to the show had been “extrordinary”.

Ellwood said big audiences for the exhibition - a quarter of whom are coming from outside Victoria – suggests that “people are engaged and interested in the art of now ... our audience doesn’t just want a safe diet”.

A Melbourne exclusive, the world premiere exhibition comprises over 230 masterworks New York’s Museum of Modern Art, including paintings, drawings and photographs alongside furniture, textiles, graphic design and architecture.

Spanning the entire ground floor of NGV International, the exhibition includes works from some of the world’s biggest names in art – from Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Salvador Dalí and Frida Kahlo, to Cindy Sherman, Andreas Gursky, Kara Walker and Camille Henrot.

Being held until 7th October, MoMA at NGV spreads beyond the gallery through the MEL&NYC festival - a celebration of the strong cultural links between Melbourne and New York - across art, performance, comedy, film, food, ideas and live music.

Commenting on the exhibition, Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley stated “already the exhibition has generated huge ticket sales – showing that Victoria’s appetite for contemporary art and great cultural experiences is stronger than ever.

“It continues the NGV’s impressive run of world-premiere exhibitions, which have seen a huge number of visitors flock to (the) gallery ... over the last year.”

Image: Friday nights at NGV (top) and exhibits on display at MoMA at NGV (below).