Current & past exhibitions

Take time out from your day to explore our unique exhibitions and immerse yourself in a world of art, books, history and culture.

The Library presents a dynamic, year-round mix of exhibitions and displays, featuring amazing items from our collections and exhibition items sourced from around the world. Explore some of our previous exhibitions or view our current exhibition program.

Featured exhibition

World of the book

10 November 2017 to 31 December 2018
Dome Galleries, Level 4

Explore a wealth of ideas and imagination in this one-of-a-kind exhibition (formerly Mirror of the world), showcasing the history of book design, production and illustration from the Middle Ages to today.

Current & upcoming exhibitions

8 Mar 2018–24 Nov 2019

Self-made: zines and artist books

Discover the evolution of do-it-yourself publishing in this free exhibition of fanzines, punk zines, underground press publications and artist books designed to buck the commercial gallery system.

FIND OUT MORE

19 Jan 2018–1 Apr 2018

WE ARE HERE: contemporary artists explore their queer cultural heritage

Witness actual and imagined queer histories, brought to life by five outstanding contemporary visual artists.

FIND OUT MORE

2 Dec 2017–1 May 2018

The changing face of Victoria

Visit a remarkable free exhibition that tells the stories of the people, places and events that have shaped Victoria.

FIND OUT MORE

10 Nov 2017–14 Oct 2018

World of the book

Explore a world of ideas and imagination in this one-of-a-kind exhibition showcasing the history of book design, production and illustration from the Middle Ages to today.

FIND OUT MORE

4 Aug 2017–31 Aug 2018

Looped: artist books in the round

Experience Gracia & Louise's special artist book unfold 'in the round' in the heritage dais in the domed La Trobe Reading Room.

FIND OUT MORE

28 Jul 2017–10 Jan 2018

50 years of La Mama

Celebrate 50 year's of experimental local theatre in this free display of images of Melbourne's iconic La Mama Theatre.

FIND OUT MORE

10 Jun 2016–20 Jan 2018

Story Island: an adventure in pictures

Come on a journey of imagination at your local public library to touch the skin of a dragon, tickle a wombat’s furry tummy and hide away in a reading pod!

FIND OUT MORE

9 Apr 2015–4 Jun 2018

Writing the war: personal stories from WWI

Hear extraordinary stories of war in this moving exhibition about the Australian experience of WWI.

FIND OUT MORE

1 Jan 2015–1 Jan 2018

Cowen Gallery exhibition

Enjoy the Library's free permanent exhibition of oil paintings and portrait sculptures.

FIND OUT MORE

Past exhibitions

On Gunaikurnai Country: Gippsland Aboriginal Elders, leaders and artists

ON AIR: 40 years of 3RRR

Heroes and villains: Strutt's Australia

The Irish Rising: 'A terrible beauty is born'

The Irish Rising display revisited the tumultuous days of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin – a pivotal moment in the Irish struggle for independence from Great Britain.

Featuring rare artefacts and materials from the Library's collection, the display was complemented by a program of guided tours and illuminating discussions.

Held in partnership with the University of Melbourne, which hosted an international academic conference exploring the impact of the Easter Rising, The Irish Rising display was exhibited at the Library from 17 March to 31 July 2016 in the Blue Rotunda, Cowen Gallery.

More to explore

What's your story?

Australian sketchbook: Colonial life and the art of ST Gill

The first-ever retrospective to focus on the life and work of ST Gill, the most significant artist of the colonial era but now a forgotten name, this free exhibition provided a window onto everyday life in 19th-century Australia.

From gold prospectors and swagmen to town larrikins and Indigenous Australians, the exhibition showcased more than 200 paintings, drawings, watercolours and prints featuring Gill's vibrant depictions of a range of classic Australian characters.

Curated by 2009 Creative Fellow Professor Sasha Grishin, Australian sketchbook: Colonial life and the art of ST Gill was on display in the Library's Keith Murdoch Gallery from July to October 2015.

More to explore

Inspiration by design: Word and image from the Victoria and Albert Museum

Bohemian Melbourne

Victor Hugo: Les Misérables – From Page to Stage

Victor Hugo: Les Misérables – From Page to Stage brought together an extraordinary collection of rarely seen material from around the world, with the stand-out exhibit being Victor Hugo’s handwritten 1862 Les Misérables manuscript.

The exhibition also featured rare items from the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Maisons de Victor Hugo, Musée Rodin, Cameron Mackintosh Archive and others, including original drawings and watercolours by Victor Hugo, costumes and designs from the musical production and Academy Award-winning film, plus rare scripts, scores, designs and posters from the 1985 Royal Shakespeare Company theatre production.

The world-first exhibition was held from 18 July to 9 November 2014, and invited audience interaction with stunning displays that encouraged exhibition-goers to sing, dress up and take centre stage.

More to explore

Rome: Piranesi's vision

The largest display of Piranesi's work to be gathered in Australia, this major exhibition showcased images of classical and baroque Rome engraved by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–78). Curated by Redmond Barry Fellow Dr Colin Holden, the exhibition highlighted Piranesi's deep passion for classical architecture and his unsurpassed printmaking skills.

Drawing on the rich collections of the State Library and the University of Melbourne, together with loans from the National Gallery of Victoria and private lenders, the exhibition revealed how Piranesi's work captured the essence of Rome and the era of the Grand Tour.

Rome: Piranesi's vision was displayed in the Keith Murdoch Gallery from February to June 2014.

More to explore

Free, secular and democratic

A creative decade: 10 years of Creative Fellows

Enchanted dome

Love and devotion: from Persia and beyond

Fine impressions

As modern as tomorrow

As modern as tomorrow showcased striking commercial photography from the Library's collection. Displayed with the corporate and advertising material in which they originally appeared, the photographs provided unique insights into the changing social fabric of mid-20th-century Melbourne.

Featured photographers included Maggie Diaz, Norman Ikin, Helmut Newton, Athol Shmith, Wolfgang Sievers, Mark Strizic, Dacre Stubbs and Henry Talbot. Working in fields as varied as fashion, advertising, architectural and industrial photography, the talented group of commercial photographers had an eye for capturing images unlike anything Australia had ever seen.

The As modern as tomorrow: photographers in postwar Melbourne exhibition was held from 1 July 2011 to 5 February 2012.

More to explore

Image gallery

Gusto! A culinary history of Victoria

Look! The art of Australian picture books today

'Til you drop

Studio

The medieval imagination

Victorians on vacation

National treasures

Leunig animated

Kelly culture: Reconstructing Ned Kelly

Other past exhibitions

The independent type
24 April–25 October 2009
The independent type celebrated Victoria's rich and diverse written culture, from traditional Indigenous stories to the vibrant contemporary scene, highlighting the stories, voices and spirit of independence that made our literature unique.

Sport and war: An Australian War Memorial travelling exhibition
11 July–26 October 2008
This inspiring exhibition looked at the role of sport and war in shaping Australia's national identity, highlighting remarkable stories of courage and achievement on the nation's battlefields and sporting fields. Original posters and photographs were featured, along with a 'Brownlow' medal presented in Changi POW camp.

Famous: Karin Catt Portraits
13 July–11 November 2007
Famous presented striking celebrity portraits by high-profile Australian photographer Karin Catt, from hip-hop artist Eminem to the Dalai Lama, evoking the world of popular culture seen in the pages of Vogue and Rolling Stone.

How I entered there I cannot truly say
16 March–17 June 2007
This free exhibition celebrated the arts of printmaking and the book with a stunning display of limited-edition prints and innovative hand-made artist books.

Heroes & villains: Australian comics and their creators
20 October 2006–25 February 2007
Heroes & villains showcased the colourful history of Australian comics, from the 1940s to today, displaying rare comic books, original artwork and memorabilia from Captain Atom to Fatty Finn.

Naked democracy: Governing Victoria 1856–2006
2 June–1 October 2006
The 150th anniversary of self-government in Victoria was celebrated with exhibits including Fawkner's 1835 draft constitution, political cartoons, protest banners and Les Tanner's 1972 caricature of Henry Bolte in the form of a coffee mug!

Lost & found – Peter Lyssiotis & John Wolseley
18 November 2005–12 February 2006
Lost & found presented paintings, prints, drawings and artists' books created by Peter Lyssiotis and John Wolseley during their Creative Fellowships at the State Library, displayed alongside the rare books and pictures from the Library's collections that inspired the artists.

Eureka revisited: The contest of memories
5 August–30 October 2005
This travelling exhibition chronicled the historic Eureka rebellion on the Ballarat goldfields in 1854, exploring the many interpretations of the Eureka legend through a display of historic objects, modern artworks, photographs and memorabilia.

Gardenesque: A celebration of Australian gardening
7 October 2004–26 June 2005
Gardenesque looked at two centuries of gardening in Australia by showcasing unique items from the State Library's collections – from rare books and exquisite botanical prints to photographs and journals of early Australian gardeners.

The age of cartooning
2 July–19 September 2004
To celebrate the shared 150th anniversaries of the State Library and The Age, this exhibition displayed work by the paper's most celebrated cartoonists.

Australian modern: The architecture of Stephenson & Turner
12 March–6 June 2004
Using material drawn from the Library's collection, this exhibition examined the pivotal role the firm played in importing and developing architectural modernism in Australia.

Lewis Morley: Myself and eye
5 September–23 November 2003
An exhibition of portrait and reportage photographs by Lewis Morley, spanning four decades with a focus on 'swinging sixties' London and 1970s Australia.

Hothouse: The flower in contemporary art
6 June–24 August 2003
This unique exhibition drew together the work of some of Australia's leading contemporary artists who explored the myriad meanings associated with flowers.