The Victorian Artists Society, which can trace its establishment to 1856 in Melbourne, promotes artistic education, art classes and gallery hire exhibition in Australia. It was formed in March 1888 when the Victorian Academy of Arts (previously Victorian Society of Fine Arts) and the Australian Artists' Association amalgamated. The general public can view the seasonal collections of artworks in the gallery or buy artworks. The gallery is open seven days a week and the cost is free entry. New exhibitions are held fortnightly within the five galleries.