Port Phillip City Collection
Thomas Clark (1814-1883), Red Bluff (Elwood Before Levelling). Oil on canvas 43 x 68 cm
Comprising contemporary and historic art, heritage furniture, photographs, memorials and monuments, public art and civic material, the PPCC tells stories of the history of the municipality, its cultural identity, its artistic legacy and contemporary practice. It recognises the people and places which provide its tangible and intangible heritage and unique character.
Council acknowledges the significant Indigenous identity, past and present, of the area now comprising the City of Port Phillip in numerous ways, one of which is through collection of contemporary art.
Port Phillip City Collection Policy 2019 (DOCX 284 KB)
Port Phillip City Collection Policy 2019 (PDF 720 KB)
CoPP Art and Soul Creative Prosperous City Strategy (PDF 720 KB)
Access the collection
Visit our newly updated online database, to discover Port Phillip's arts and heritage collection with the click of a button. Browse our curated collections and explore the stories behind them. There’s also added search functions to help you find exactly what you’re looking for or even something new.
Beach cleaning South Melbourne Beach PPCC sm0884
The collection includes over 4,500 catalogued photographs from the three former cities of South Melbourne, St Kilda and Port Melbourne, which you can request reproductions of to use in exhibitions, research, studies and publications.
Henry Smith, Man, Dog, Boat, 1994. Fibreglass, wood, stainless steel, aluminium and brass. Located at the corner of Graham Street and Ingles Street, Albert Park (Gasworks Arts Park).
Visit a collection
The Port Phillip City Collection is on display in public spaces, indoors and outdoors, across our City.
Our memorials and monuments and public artworks are located in our parks, along the foreshore and outside our civic buildings.
Works from the art and heritage collection are also on display in our Town Halls, libraries and other community buildings.
Looking after our collection
The City of Port Phillip recognises the importance of the municipality's cultural and artistic heritage to our community. The Port Phillip City Collection is professionally managed in line with international museum standards.
Handling heritage plans
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Join our 'What's On' mailing list for the latest art and heritage programs and events.