National Gallery of Victoria Reveals First Renders of NGV Contemporary

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The first renders of Melbourne‘s forthcoming NGV Contemporary building were shared by the Victorian Government and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) today.

The centrepiece of the design by Angelo Candalepas and Associates, which is yet to be finalised, is a 40-metre-high spherical hall reminiscent of the atrium at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

The hall is being called an ‘omphalos’, an Ancient Greek word whose meanings include ‘the centre of the earth’.

A spiralling ramp will take visitors up to the rooftop terrace and sculpture garden, which will provide views of Melbourne’s CBD and the Yarra Ranges.

Renders of the interior showed works by KAWS, Reko Rennie, and Pae White.

‘This project signals Australia as a great contemporary nation with a significant creative force,’ said lead architect Angelo Candalepas. ‘This building will be a beacon of the culture of our time.’

Angelo Candelapas and Associates won a national competition to find an Australian architectural team to design the building. They were selected by a jury chaired by Corbett Lyon, NGV Emeritus Trustee and Director of Lyons Architecture.

Creative Industries Minister Danny Pearson, who described the gallery as Melbourne’s Eiffel Tower, said it would attract one million visitors from outside the state each year after opening to the public in 2028.

The NGV Contemporary will be situated beside the existing National Gallery of Victoria building as the centrepiece of a AU $1.7 billion investment in the Southbank arts and culture precinct. —[O]

Main image: Daytime render of winning concept design for NGV Contemporary by Angelo Candalepas and Associates, and public green space, facing south. Render by Darcstudio.