#melbourne REVIEW - NGV Friday Nights & French Impressionism at the NGV International. Last week, we sent @mailed_with_love on the perfect date night at the stunning National Gallery of Victoria to check out their latest exhibition, French Impressionism, during one of their NGV Friday Nights.
NGV Friday Nights are a unique opportunity to experience the gallery after hours in a more intimate setting - ideal for couples or friends. Enjoy live music, food, drinks and a winter masterpiece exhibition, under one roof.
@mailed_with_love loved the soulful energy of R&B and neo-soul band @bumpymusic_ which was emotional, captivating, and seriously impressive. As for the exhibition itself, French Impressionism is a visual feast. Featuring over 100 stunning works by key figures of the movement, the exhibition showcases masterpieces from the MFA Boston’s renowned collection of Impressionist art - think Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Édouard Manet and more! Treat yourself to an NGV Friday Night at the @ngvmelbourne soon - you deserve it! #hosted #invited
Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt, Berthe Morisot and more head to Melbourne for the NGV’s international-exclusive presentation of the major Melbourne Winter Masterpieces® exhibition, French Impressionism, from 6 June 2025. Presented by the NGV in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), an institution renowned world-wide for its rich holdings of Impressionist paintings, the exhibition features more than 100 iconic paintings, including additional works never-before-seen in Australia.
Originally presented at NGV in 2021, the exhibition closed just after it opened due to the global pandemic. The 2025 presentation of French Impressionism gives Australian audiences a rare, second chance to experience one of the largest and most significant collections of French Impressionism ever to visit Australia – all exclusively on loan to the NGV from the MFA’s renowned collection in Boston.
French Impressionism charts the trajectory of the late-nineteenth century artistic movement, highlighting the key figures at the centre of this period of radical experimentation who boldly rejected the conventions of the state-sponsored Salon and exhibited their ‘impressionistic’ works independently. The exhibition evokes the artistic energy and intellectual dynamism of the period by placing emphasis on the thoughts and observations of the artists themselves, as captured through letters, journals and articles. Their voices reveal the social connections, artistic influences and personal rivalries that united the group of rebellious practitioners at the centre of this new art movement.
Moving through a brand-new immersive exhibition design, audiences will experience the hallmarks of Impressionism, including distinctive brushwork, unique points of view, arresting use of colour, as well as places dear to the artists, such as Paris, Fontainebleau Forest, Pontoise, Giverny, the Normandy coast and the South of France. Many artists also recorded movement and change in urban and domestic realms; still life paintings, intimate interiors and modern urban subjects will also feature.
An exhibition highlight will be a breathtaking display of 16 canvases in one gallery by Claude Monet. Painted over a thirty-year period, these paintings depict many of Monet’s most beloved scenes of nature in Argenteuil, the Normandy coast, the Mediterranean coast and his extraordinary garden in Giverny. Together, these paintings demonstrate the full scope of the artist’s immeasurable contribution to the Impressionist movement.
Event Details:
Dates: 6 June – 5 October 2025
Suitable for: All ages
Location: NGV International