A person looking a 'petal dress' at the NGV.
Photograph: Eugene Hyland
Photograph: Eugene Hyland

The best art and exhibitions in Melbourne this month

Discover the city's best art, exhibitions and cultural events happening in December

Leah Glynn
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December 2025: It's a fashion face-off this month, when Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo go head-to-head in NGV’s blockbuster summer exhibition of punk, tartan and avant-garde design. For more pop culture magic, 'Diva' is opening as the the debut exhibition at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts. It will go behind the sequins to reveal the cultural power and artistry of some of the world’s most captivating performers. Plus, 'Game Worlds' is still on at ACMI and you can see Viking treasures at Melbourne Museum.

There's always something to see in this all-embracing city of ours, so don't let the month pass you by without getting your fix of the best art, culture and exhibitions in Melbourne.

When in doubt, you can also always rely on our catch-all lists of Melbourne's best bars, restaurants, museums, parks and galleries, or consult our bucket list of 100 things to do in Melbourne before you die

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Keen to add some art to your home? These are the best places to buy art in Melbourne.

Melbourne's best art and exhibitions this month

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Carlton

Ever wanted to soar above a rainforest canopy or wander beneath the frozen surface of the polar seas? Melbourne Museum invites you to do just that with Our Wondrous Planet, a breathtaking, immersive exhibition celebrating the interconnected magic of life on Earth. Spanning reef, rainforest, ice and soil, this multisensory experience drops visitors into the planet’s most vital ecosystems. Room-sized projections, interactive moments and storytelling bring the natural world to life.

  • Art
  • Installation
  • Melbourne

Traversing time and space, Wurrdha Marra is an ongoing exhibition celebrating the diversity of First Nations art and design. Since late 2023, the ground floor and foyer of the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia has become home to a dynamic and ever-changing exhibition space that displays masterpieces and never-before-shown works from the NGV’s First Nations collection.

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  • Museums
  • History
  • Elsternwick

Melbourne Holocaust Museum’s Hidden: Seven Children Saved exhibition is focused on educating Melburnians on the Holocaust experiences of seven (now-local) children, to inspire greater understanding of these vital lessons. Interactive displays show visitors what it would have been like for a child to hide in such a volatile time, and how acts of kindness from the community made all the difference. Replica rooms, mini towns, soundscapes, moving images and projections make it an interesting and educational display for families (with kids ten years plus) to visit during the school holidays.

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