The Foto Arsenal Wien is the new center for photography and lens-based media in Austria. Established by the City of Vienna in 2022, the new institution aims to present and communicate photography in all its forms and uses. Vienna has had a lively photography scene with several establishments for a number of years, but after lengthy deliberations a dedicated center has now been created. Not a museum with its own collection, but a central exhibition venue that will raise the profile of national and international works and collections. Up to twelve temporary exhibitions per year will be displayed on around 1,000 m² of exhibition space. The venue will focus on historical, national and international themes at the point where the analog and digital worlds meet, as well as where static and moving images come together.

New location near the Hauptbahnhof

A red-brick building in the Arsenal in the 3rd district, very close to Vienna’s Central Station, was chosen as its home. “Object 19”, as the building is known, was extensively renovated and extended over a period of 18 months. While renovation work was underway, the Foto Arsenal Wien made a one-year temporary guest appearance at the MuseumsQuartier Wien, where several photo exhibitions were held until the end of June 2024. 

The “Filmmuseum LAB”, a modern conservation and digitization laboratory for the Austrian Film Museum, is also moving into the new photography hub. The building also houses a café. It will be open daily except on Mondays. The public space around the center is intended to be filled with artworks. The Arsenal is located in a cultural setting and therefore in good company, because together with its neighbors – the rehearsal stages of the Burgtheater and Vienna State Opera, the Museum of Military History and Belvedere 21 – and in cooperation with the organization KÖR Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Wien, a new Viennese cultural cluster is being created here. 

Wide-ranging exhibition and educational program

Things get underway on March 21 with the major exhibition “Magnum. A World of Photography”, which will focus on the renowned Magnum Photos agency. More than 300 exhibits – ranging from photo essays from the Second World War to portraits of the British royal family – chronologically illustrate seven decades of the agency’s history and the processes behind the creation of world-famous photographs. Simon Lehner’s exhibition “Clean Thoughts, Clean Images”, which will explore collective memory through immersive photographic compositions, will open at the same time. From June 13, “Watch! Watch! Watch!” will pay tribute to Henri Cartier-Bresson, who was a pioneer of photojournalism. 

In addition to the wide-ranging exhibition program, the Foto Arsenal Wien moreover aims to offer publications and themed events, while also putting an emphasis on teaching art and visual media skills. There will be special programs geared towards children and teenagers. The new exhibition building also has its own seminar rooms and an analog darkroom. The biennial “Foto Wien” festival has also been affiliated with the new center since 2023. The next event will take place from October 3 to November 2, 2025.

More information:

• Foto Arsenal Wien, Arsenalplatz, Objekt 19, 1030 Wien, www.fotoarsenalwien.at 
• Österreichisches Filmmuseum, Augustinerstraße 1, 1010 Wien, www.filmmuseum.at

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Helena Steinhart
Media Relations
+43 1 211 14-364
helena.steinhart@vienna.info