The Fox: NGV Contemporary

The Fox: NGV Contemporary in Melbourne, Australia, is a major new gallery dedicated to contemporary art, design, architecture, fashion and performance, and the third site of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). Located on Southbank Boulevard in the heart of the Melbourne Arts Precinct, the purpose-built museum will span around 30,000 square metres, making it the largest gallery of its kind in Australia when it opens in 2028. Backed by the Victorian Government as part of the $1.7 billion Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation, the project positions Melbourne as a global destination for contemporary culture.

Designed by Angelo Candalepas and Associates with a wider team of Australian architecture and engineering firms, The Fox: NGV Contemporary is conceived as a powerful work of contemporary Australian architecture that draws visitors in through dramatic arched entrances and a soaring interior. At its core is the omphalos, a spherical central gallery rising more than 40 metres through the building, which doubles as an orienting hall and an immersive space for large-scale installations. Pathways spiralling around this volume connect galleries, education spaces, and studios, offering an unfolding architectural experience that culminates in a dual-level rooftop terrace with expansive views across Melbourne’s CBD, parklands, and the Yarra Ranges.

Art, Exhibitions and Programming

With more than 13,000 square metres of dedicated display space, The Fox: NGV Contemporary will enable the NGV to present contemporary art and design at unprecedented scale and ambition. Large, flexible galleries with state-of-the-art display systems are designed to host international blockbuster exhibitions alongside focused presentations drawn from the NGV’s growing collection of Australian and international contemporary art, design, and architecture. The building will also be a major platform for the NGV’s contemporary design and architecture holdings, which are set to be a core component of the new site.

Beyond exhibitions, the gallery will function as a hub for research, education, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Educational studios, a lecture theatre, artist studios and conservation laboratories are integrated into the building, supporting public programs, talks, and behind-the-scenes work with artists, designers, and curators. By connecting surrounding parklands with Southbank through new public pathways, The Fox: NGV Contemporary also extends the museum’s activity into the urban fabric, reshaping the experience of Melbourne’s Arts Precinct as a walkable cultural landscape.

Lindsay and Paula Fox Donation to the NGV

Lindsay Fox AC is a Melbourne-based businessman and founder of the logistics company Linfox, while Paula Fox AO is a prominent philanthropist and long-standing NGV Foundation and board member. Together, they are among Australia’s leading arts philanthropists and have supported a range of cultural, medical, and social initiatives in Victoria over several decades.

In 2022, Lindsay and Paula Fox pledged an unprecedented 100 million AUD towards the construction of NGV Contemporary, the largest cultural gift for a capital project ever made to an Australian art museum by a living donor. In recognition of this gift, the new gallery has been named The Fox: NGV Contemporary, and the donation sits alongside their earlier support for NGV acquisitions and programs.

Paula Fox has described the contribution as the culmination of many years of passionate support for the NGV and has expressed the family’s hope that their philanthropy will inspire others to back the project. NGV director Tony Ellwood and the Victorian Government have publicly acknowledged the Fox family’s leadership, noting that their philanthropy will have a tangible impact on generations of visitors to the new contemporary art and design museum.

Visiting information

The Fox: NGV Contemporary is being constructed at 77 Southbank Boulevard in Melbourne, adjacent to NGV International and close to the Arts Centre Melbourne within the Melbourne Arts Precinct. Construction commenced following the appointment of Lendlease as head contractor, with the gallery slated to open to the public in 2028. Once complete, visitors can expect multiple public entrances from the new urban garden, Southbank Boulevard and Kavanagh Street, as well as a café, NGV design store, rooftop restaurant and members’ lounge integrated into the building.

Specific opening hours and ticketing details for The Fox: NGV Contemporary will be announced closer to the opening date; in the meantime, information about current NGV exhibitions, tickets and visiting guidelines is available via the NGV’s main website. As the centrepiece of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation, the gallery will sit within new public gardens that link The Fox: NGV Contemporary to NGV International and neighbouring venues, consolidating the area as one of the city’s key cultural attractions for local and international visitors.

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