Calling all Catherines!

To celebrate Catherine the Great at the National Gallery of Victoria, on Tuesday 6th October all those who share Catherine's name (and that includes Kathy, Kate's or Cathy's…and even if it is your middle name) will receive free entry.   

The merry band of Catherines, Kates and Katies will be led into the exhibition by Catherine Andrews (wife of the Premier Daniel Andrews) at 10.30 the morning of the 6^th.

Catherine the Great was one of the world's greatest innovators in the arts and achieved extraordinary social and cultural change in a relatively short time. Catherine recognized the importance of the arts to educate and inspire, a legacy that we are fortunate to enjoy today. She introduced schools for girls, abolished torture and established the first pseudo parliament – all the more remarkable when you consider women did not have the same rights that we have in Australia today.

The exhibition Masterpieces from the Hermitage: The Legacy of Catherine the Great features over 500 works from the personal collection of Catherine the Great and includes outstanding works from artists such as Rembrandt, Velasquez, Rubens and Titian. Exemplary works from Van Dyck, Snyders, Teniers and Hals have also travelled, collectively offering some of the finest Dutch and Flemish art to come to Australia. 

The exhibition, presented by the Hermitage Museum, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Exhibitions Australia, is exclusive to Melbourne as part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series.