While there may be those who need to put together financial flow charts about such things, maybe it’s time to accept that regardless of profits and losses, the Bendigo Art Gallery has promoted our city in a way that is priceless.

Princess Charlene married Prince Albert of Monaco, the only son of Princess Grace, formerly Grace Kelly, and Prince Rainier.

Grace Kelly was an American actress, whose talent and beauty have made her a legend of the silver screen.

The exhibition, which follows Grace’s evolution of style and includes gowns she wore in movies and at award ceremonies, is another major coup for our art gallery.

It’s riding on the perfectly-tailored coat tails of previous successes such as The White Wedding Dress, featured this year, and the Golden Age of Couture in 2010. And, aside from wearable art there really has been too many amazing collections of hangable works to boast every exhibition that has lined our gallery walls.

Again, the coming collection has been organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the same museum that put together the couture and white wedding dress exhibitions.

To have earned the respect and trust of one of the world’s most amazing museums is an incredible feat. And already our royal visitor has been widely publicised.

Regardless of facts and figures, tourism statistics and our local economy, occupancy levels in motels and how many people ate dinner on View Street, the fact of the matter is Bendigo has earned itself an international reputation.

– SUE TURPIE, subeditor