Vienna Media News 05/2018 Photo gallery: unmissable treasures in Vienna’s museums
The Kiss/Gustav Klimt/Upper Belvedere
Gustav Klimt’s Kiss (1908-09) is the uncontested highlight of the Belvedere collection. Measuring just under four square meters, this allegorical masterpiece depicts a pair of lovers locked in a tight embrace. In the work, which is on display at the Upper Belvedere, formal elements of Japanese art are joined by echoes of Byzantine mosaics and medieval panel painting. The work is a particularly impressive example of Gustav Klimt’s distinctive style. The artist’s use of ornamentation and silver and gold leaf create a unique atmosphere which seems to envelop the couple.
Belvedere, Upper Belvedere, Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27, 1030 Vienna, www.belvedere.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Self-portrait with Physalis/Egon Schiele/Leopold Museum
Self-portrait with Physalis (1912) is one of Egon Schiele’s key works and part of the permanent VIENNA 1900 exhibition at the Leopold Museum. In what must be his best-known self-portrait, the 22-year-old artist sizes up the observer with confidence yet at the same time gives a distinct impression of vulnerability. The Leopold Museum at the MuseumsQuartier has the world’s largest and most important collections of works by Egon Schiele, with more than 40 paintings and around 180 works on paper in its holdings. It also has its own Egon Schiele document center which takes an academic look at this exceptional artist’s oeuvre.
Leopold Museum, MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.leopoldmuseum.org
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
The Tower of Babel, Pieter Bruegel the Elder/Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
Pieter Bruegel’s monumental composition The Tower of Babel (1563) is one of the most famous, most copied and most interpreted depictions of the tower’s construction. Tiny by comparison, the Flemish-style port in the painting gives an idea of the sheer scale of the edifice. With painstaking attention to detail and encyclopedic interest, Bruegel integrated myriad details of building and artisan processes into the work. The piece is on display in the Picture Gallery and will play a starring role in the world’s first major monographic Bruegel exhibition (Oct 2, 2018-Jan 13, 2019) at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna, www.khm.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Venus of Willendorf/Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna
This highlight of the Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna collection is 11cm high and 29,500 years old. The early-stone-age Venus of Willendorf figure, unearthed in the Wachau valley in Lower Austria in 1908, is among the world’s most famous archeological finds. She is on display in the Venus Cabinet inside the museum on the Ringstrasse boulevard. With 30 million items in its collections, the Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna is one of the best in the world. Its attractions included a huge collection of meteorites, stuffed extinct animals, terrifying dinosaur models and a digital planetarium.
Museum of Natural History, Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna, www.nhm-wien.ac.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Field Hare/Albrecht Dürer/Albertina
Albrecht Dürer’s Field Hare (1502) is the most famous work in the Albertina’s treasure trove. For conservation reasons the piece is not kept on permanent display. Instead, it is shown just twice over a five year period, subject to the consent of Austrian Federal Office for the Care of Monuments. A facsimile of the masterpiece can be seen in the Small Spanish Apartment in the Habsburg state rooms. Fans of the hare should make a note of its next appearance: the Albertina will be mounting a major Dürer exhibition at the end of September 2019 – featuring his Field Hare.
Albertina, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna, www.albertina.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
The Last Judgment triptych/Hieronymous Bosch/Picture Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts
Hieronymus Bosch chose the form of a tri-fold altar piece for his Last Judgment triptych (ca. 1450-1516), on which he presented his phantasmagorical vision of Judgment Day: Jesus judges the souls, below him the wicked are punished by strange demonic creatures, there are depictions of the Deadly Sins, the damned are trapped in eternal torment and only a handful of blessed individuals are guided into heaven by angels. Bosch’s masterpiece will be on display at the Theatre Museum until 2020 while renovations are carried out at the Picture Gallery.
Picture gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna visits the Theatre Museum, Lobkowitzplatz 2, 1010 Vienna, www.akademiegalerie.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Kunst Haus Wien. Museum Hundertwasser/Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Bright splashes of color, irregular forms and an abundance of green – the Kunst Haus Wien. Museum Hundertwasser, founded by the Austrian artist in 1991, is an unmistakable Hundertwasser original. This unique museum and exhibition space follows the famous artist and environmental visionary’s philosophical and design principles. As a pioneer of an approach to architecture that responded to the needs of people and the environment, he planted trees on the roofs of his projects and created an early example of a vertical greening system with his “tree tenants” set into the facades of buildings.
Kunst Haus Wien, Museum Hundertwasser, Untere Weissgerberstrasse 13, 1030 Vienna, www.kunsthauswien.com
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Penacho/Weltmuseum Wien
The Penacho is the highest-profile exhibit at the Weltmuseum Wien, which reopened in 2017 following a major refurbishment project. The famous headdress – featuring hundreds of long Quetzal feathers and more than a thousand shimmering gold pieces – is the only one of its kind still in existence. Extensive research into its history was conducted in a joint project involving academics from Mexico and Austria between 2010 and 2012. Dating back to the early sixteenth century, the piece was painstakingly cleaned and preserved before being put on show as part of the Weltmuseum Wien’s North and Central America collection.
Weltmuseum Wien, Hofburg, Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna, www.weltmuseumwien.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Austrian Post Savings Bank chair/Otto Wagner/MAK
Gebrüder Thonet produced this chair according to a design by Otto Wagner for the Austrian Post Savings Bank (1912-21) in Vienna. Wagner pushed the boundaries associated with the traditional role of an architect, insisting on also creating a custom interior for the Post Savings Bank. He took it upon himself to personally attend to details such as the flooring, wall paneling, rugs, radiators, lamps, clocks, door handles, lecterns, light switches, chairs, desks, wardrobes, safes and much more. His armchair is part of the unique collection on display at the MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art. Originally founded in 1863 as a repository of samples, to this day the MAK provides an unusual connection between applied arts, design, architecture and contemporary art.
MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art, Stubenring 5, 1010 Vienna, www.mak.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Kleines Schüttbild/Hermann Nitsch/mumok
Hermann Nitsch’s Kleines Schüttbild (Small Poured Painting, 1968) is part of the mumok – museum of modern art ludwig foundation vienna’s 9,000-piece collection at the MuseumsQuartier. Viennese Actionism is one of the focuses of the collection, alongside pop art, photorealism, Fluxus and Nouveau Réalisme. Austria’s radical and essential contribution to the international development of avant-garde art is excellently documented with works by Günter Brus, Otto Muehl, Hermann Nitsch and Rudolf Schwarzkogler.
mumok – museum of modern art ludwig foundation vienna, MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.mumok.at
www.mumok.at/de/presse
The Kiss/Gustav Klimt/Upper Belvedere
Gustav Klimt’s Kiss (1908-09) is the uncontested highlight of the Belvedere collection. Measuring just under four square meters, this allegorical masterpiece depicts a pair of lovers locked in a tight embrace. In the work, which is on display at the Upper Belvedere, formal elements of Japanese art are joined by echoes of Byzantine mosaics and medieval panel painting. The work is a particularly impressive example of Gustav Klimt’s distinctive style. The artist’s use of ornamentation and silver and gold leaf create a unique atmosphere which seems to envelop the couple.
Belvedere, Upper Belvedere, Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27, 1030 Vienna, www.belvedere.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Self-portrait with Physalis/Egon Schiele/Leopold Museum
Self-portrait with Physalis (1912) is one of Egon Schiele’s key works and part of the permanent VIENNA 1900 exhibition at the Leopold Museum. In what must be his best-known self-portrait, the 22-year-old artist sizes up the observer with confidence yet at the same time gives a distinct impression of vulnerability. The Leopold Museum at the MuseumsQuartier has the world’s largest and most important collections of works by Egon Schiele, with more than 40 paintings and around 180 works on paper in its holdings. It also has its own Egon Schiele document center which takes an academic look at this exceptional artist’s oeuvre.
Leopold Museum, MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.leopoldmuseum.org
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
The Tower of Babel, Pieter Bruegel the Elder/Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
Pieter Bruegel’s monumental composition The Tower of Babel (1563) is one of the most famous, most copied and most interpreted depictions of the tower’s construction. Tiny by comparison, the Flemish-style port in the painting gives an idea of the sheer scale of the edifice. With painstaking attention to detail and encyclopedic interest, Bruegel integrated myriad details of building and artisan processes into the work. The piece is on display in the Picture Gallery and will play a starring role in the world’s first major monographic Bruegel exhibition (Oct 2, 2018-Jan 13, 2019) at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna, www.khm.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Venus of Willendorf/Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna
This highlight of the Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna collection is 11cm high and 29,500 years old. The early-stone-age Venus of Willendorf figure, unearthed in the Wachau valley in Lower Austria in 1908, is among the world’s most famous archeological finds. She is on display in the Venus Cabinet inside the museum on the Ringstrasse boulevard. With 30 million items in its collections, the Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna is one of the best in the world. Its attractions included a huge collection of meteorites, stuffed extinct animals, terrifying dinosaur models and a digital planetarium.
Museum of Natural History, Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna, www.nhm-wien.ac.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Field Hare/Albrecht Dürer/Albertina
Albrecht Dürer’s Field Hare (1502) is the most famous work in the Albertina’s treasure trove. For conservation reasons the piece is not kept on permanent display. Instead, it is shown just twice over a five year period, subject to the consent of Austrian Federal Office for the Care of Monuments. A facsimile of the masterpiece can be seen in the Small Spanish Apartment in the Habsburg state rooms. Fans of the hare should make a note of its next appearance: the Albertina will be mounting a major Dürer exhibition at the end of September 2019 – featuring his Field Hare.
Albertina, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna, www.albertina.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
The Last Judgment triptych/Hieronymous Bosch/Picture Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts
Hieronymus Bosch chose the form of a tri-fold altar piece for his Last Judgment triptych (ca. 1450-1516), on which he presented his phantasmagorical vision of Judgment Day: Jesus judges the souls, below him the wicked are punished by strange demonic creatures, there are depictions of the Deadly Sins, the damned are trapped in eternal torment and only a handful of blessed individuals are guided into heaven by angels. Bosch’s masterpiece will be on display at the Theatre Museum until 2020 while renovations are carried out at the Picture Gallery.
Picture gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna visits the Theatre Museum, Lobkowitzplatz 2, 1010 Vienna, www.akademiegalerie.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Kunst Haus Wien. Museum Hundertwasser/Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Bright splashes of color, irregular forms and an abundance of green – the Kunst Haus Wien. Museum Hundertwasser, founded by the Austrian artist in 1991, is an unmistakable Hundertwasser original. This unique museum and exhibition space follows the famous artist and environmental visionary’s philosophical and design principles. As a pioneer of an approach to architecture that responded to the needs of people and the environment, he planted trees on the roofs of his projects and created an early example of a vertical greening system with his “tree tenants” set into the facades of buildings.
Kunst Haus Wien, Museum Hundertwasser, Untere Weissgerberstrasse 13, 1030 Vienna, www.kunsthauswien.com
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Penacho/Weltmuseum Wien
The Penacho is the highest-profile exhibit at the Weltmuseum Wien, which reopened in 2017 following a major refurbishment project. The famous headdress – featuring hundreds of long Quetzal feathers and more than a thousand shimmering gold pieces – is the only one of its kind still in existence. Extensive research into its history was conducted in a joint project involving academics from Mexico and Austria between 2010 and 2012. Dating back to the early sixteenth century, the piece was painstakingly cleaned and preserved before being put on show as part of the Weltmuseum Wien’s North and Central America collection.
Weltmuseum Wien, Hofburg, Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna, www.weltmuseumwien.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Austrian Post Savings Bank chair/Otto Wagner/MAK
Gebrüder Thonet produced this chair according to a design by Otto Wagner for the Austrian Post Savings Bank (1912-21) in Vienna. Wagner pushed the boundaries associated with the traditional role of an architect, insisting on also creating a custom interior for the Post Savings Bank. He took it upon himself to personally attend to details such as the flooring, wall paneling, rugs, radiators, lamps, clocks, door handles, lecterns, light switches, chairs, desks, wardrobes, safes and much more. His armchair is part of the unique collection on display at the MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art. Originally founded in 1863 as a repository of samples, to this day the MAK provides an unusual connection between applied arts, design, architecture and contemporary art.
MAK – Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art, Stubenring 5, 1010 Vienna, www.mak.at
You can also download a print-ready version of this image. Download here
Kleines Schüttbild/Hermann Nitsch/mumok
Hermann Nitsch’s Kleines Schüttbild (Small Poured Painting, 1968) is part of the mumok – museum of modern art ludwig foundation vienna’s 9,000-piece collection at the MuseumsQuartier. Viennese Actionism is one of the focuses of the collection, alongside pop art, photorealism, Fluxus and Nouveau Réalisme. Austria’s radical and essential contribution to the international development of avant-garde art is excellently documented with works by Günter Brus, Otto Muehl, Hermann Nitsch and Rudolf Schwarzkogler.
mumok – museum of modern art ludwig foundation vienna, MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.mumok.at
www.mumok.at/de/presse
VIDEO: Six treasures in Vienna’s museums that are always worth seeing | VIENNA/NOW Top Picks
Contact:
Vienna Tourist Board
Helena Hartlauer
Media Relations UK, USA, Canada, Australia
Tel. (+ 43 1) 211 14-364
helena.hartlauer@vienna.info