Melbourne will be a buzz this year lining up Napoleon’s revolution, wonders from Mesopotamia, a spellbinding tale of a war horse and gaming greats for this year’s winter tourism entertainment.

From the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces program comes an epic line up of cultural festivals, stage spectaculars and blockbuster exhibitions to entertain not only Melbournians this winter, but guests nationally and internationally.

The first in the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces program is the panoramic exhibition Napoleon: Revolution to Empire.  Running from 2 June – 7 October at the National Gallery of Victoria, the exclusive exhibition brings the legend to life through over 200 works including paintings, drawings, engravings, sculpture, furniture, militaria, textiles, porcelain, gold and silver, fashion and jewellery.

Testimony to Melbourne’s reputation as a major creative hub for the Australian videogames industry, the highly interactive Game Masters will showcase the work of leading local and international videogame designers from 28 June – 28 October.  Curated by the Australian Centre for Moving Image, the exhibition will have more than 125 playable games ranging from the arcade era through to the latest console and mobile game technology.  A must see for gaming enthusiasts.

Opening tomorrow is the exhibition of ancient artefacts, The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia.  Showcasing artefacts from one of the world’s greatest unknown ancient civilizations, the exhibition is presented in collaboration with The British Museum, adding another Australian first for the Melbourne Museum.

The National Theatre of Great Britain and Global Creatures, in association with the Arts Centre in Melbourne, will stage the award-wining production War Horse.  This uniquely moving spectacle that captures the audience through amazing puppetry will open on 31 December for a 10 week season.
This line up of events promises big things for Melbourne’s cultural calendar this winter.