In the biblical story of the Ark, Noah is charged with the task of rescuing wild beasts, domestic animals, birds and reptiles from forty days and forty nights of flood. Retold through the Judaic, Christian, and Islamic faiths, the story of Noah’s ark reminds us of the importance of animals to people. Indeed throughout history human societies have interacted and relied on the animals around them, and the animal world has been a resounding source of artistic inspiration.

Drawing on both the International and Australian collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, The Gallery Ark includes a breadth of styles, schools, movements and cultures from throughout the centuries. 

Like the story of Noah and the Ark, the exhibition presents the animals 'two by two', allowing for an exploration of similarities and differences in the works of artists as diverse as Charles Conder, Treahna Hamm, Jeff Koons, Frederick McCubbin, Pablo Picasso, Tom Roberts, Auguste Rodin, and Wu Zuoren.