Wednesday 20 June, 2012
Napoleon rode into regional Victoria today - not on a horse but a V/Line train.
The French General has adorned the inside and outside of a V/Line train as part of the National Gallery of Victoria’s 2012 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, Napoleon: Revolution to Empire.
The exhibition features nearly 300 works that examine French art, culture and life from the 1770s to the 1820s. It showcases objects from life in revolutionary France including paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, furniture, gold and silver, fashion and jewellery.
Customers who travel to the NGV with V/Line and present their ticket when entering the exhibition will be eligible for concession price entry.
V/Line Marketing and Stakeholder Relations General Manager Paul Matthews said regional Victorians have proven themselves to be fans of high quality art at the NGV.
"Our previous partnerships with the National Gallery of Victoria including Fred Williams: Infinite Horizons and the 2010 exhibition Eugene Von Guerard: Nature Revealed have proven to be successful," he said.
"The NGV is only a short walk from Flinders Street Station and can easily be accessed using Melbourne’s trams or Metro trains from Southern Cross Station.
"A V/Line ticket gives free travel on Melbourne’s public transport network so customers don’t need to worry about anything other than walking from a V/Line train to tram or Metro train to get to the gallery."
NGV Director Dr Gerard Vaughan said the exhibition would be the winter highlight in Victoria’s cultural calendar.
"Napoleon is well known as a master military strategist; this exhibition reveals he was also a passionate lover and dedicated patron of the arts, sciences and literature," he said.
"He was a man who held the world captive to his ambition. He had a vision of a united Europe, but a Europe controlled by France and united through conquest."
The NGV is open daily from 10am to 5pm and until 9pm on Wednesday’s at NGV International (180, St Kilda Road, Melbourne). The exhibition is open from 2 June until 7 October.
V/Line timetabling and fares information can be found at vline.com.au.