The final weeks of DIVA at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts are now underway, with Arts Centre Melbourne offering half-price tickets ahead of the exhibition’s closing date on 26 April.
The exhibition has become one of the standout arts events of Melbourne’s summer season, drawing visitors with its mix of international glamour and Australian performance history. Developed by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, DIVA opened as the debut exhibition for the Australian Museum of Performing Arts, known as AMPA, inside Arts Centre Melbourne.
Arts Centre Melbourne chief executive Karen Quinlan said the response to the exhibition had been strong over recent months, with organisers now looking to make the final weeks more affordable and accessible.
She said there had never been a better time for people to visit, particularly with free public transport now available across Victoria for the rest of April.
The Victorian Government’s free travel initiative means trains, trams and buses across metropolitan and regional Victoria can be used without charge until the end of the month, making it easier for people outside Melbourne to visit the exhibition before it closes.
Held at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts inside Arts Centre Melbourne, DIVA features more than 250 objects, including 60 costumes, jewellery, photography, music and artworks gathered from the V&A collection, Arts Centre Melbourne’s own archive and lenders around the world.
The exhibition traces the idea of the diva across generations, from opera stars and Hollywood icons to contemporary music figures. Costumes and memorabilia linked to performers such as Cher, Tina Turner, Elton John, Marilyn Monroe, Maria Callas, Adele, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Judy Garland, Joan Crawford, Whitney Houston, P!nk and Billie Eilish are among the highlights.
Australian performers are also heavily featured, with costumes worn by Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton-John, Marcia Hines, Cate Blanchett, Kate Miller-Heidke, Jessica Mauboy and Amy Taylor helping connect the exhibition to Australia’s own performing arts history.
The exhibition has also been supported by The Dress and the Diva podcast series, hosted by broadcaster Jacinta Parsons. Episodes feature conversations with fashion designer Bob Mackie, Marcia Hines, soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, cabaret performer Reuben Kaye, designer Gwendolynne Burkin and performer Meow Meow.
Audience reactions have been enthusiastic, with visitors describing the exhibition as one of the best they have seen in recent years, particularly for its display of costumes linked to stars such as Cher, Elton John and Tina Turner. Some have said they wished the exhibition was larger because they did not want it to end.
DIVA closes on 26 April at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts in Melbourne, with tickets currently available from $22 and reduced prices now being offered for the exhibition’s final days.
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