When the 2000 Olympic Games were held in Sydney, the NGV created an exhibition called “1956 Melbourne” to commemorate the first Games on Australian soil. Bruno Benini’s photograph of ‘The Banquet of Cleopatra’ by the Italian artist Tiepolo was used as the invitation for a display of artists’ work in this exhibition.
1956 proved to be a significant year for Melbourne – hosting the Olympics, the growing intake of post war refugees and migrants, and the introduction of television. “Melbourne 1956” brought together approximately 40 works from the permanent collection of The National Gallery of Victoria. A diverse range of material – including paintings, prints and drawings, sculpture, decorative arts, photography, fashion, and textiles – explores the developing multi-cultural society of Melbourne