There’s a lot of celebrating happening in the name of dead artists this year. With it being the anniversary years for the Viennese Modernist movement – which involved creative giants like Schiele, Moser and Klimt – and for Otto Wagner, there are several once-in-a-lifetime exhibitions worth checking out. Here are 12 of them:
Klimt’s Magic Garden
When: WED, February 7 – SUN, April 22
Where: MAK – Museum of Applied Arts
Entry: 12€ (9€ students), 5€ every Tuesday 6pm–10pm
This year, the country’s golden boy artist (seriously, this guy used a lot of gold in his works) Gustav Klimt is being celebrated in a whole new way. The secession legend died exactly 100 years ago and to mark this, the MAK is hosting a very special kind of pioneering exhibition: the artist’s work in the dining room belonging to the Stoclet House in Brussels inspired a new world expressed in a virtual reality experiment that transports the visitor into an interactive film journey in a very Klimt-esque-like setting. Klimt’s Magic Garden will be hosted at the MAK until April 22nd and promises to be an immersive experience with impressive technology.
Wien um 1900
When: THU, January 18 – WED, June 6
Where: Leopold Museum
Entry: 13€ (9€ students)
To celebrate the anniversary year of Viennese Modernism, the Leopold Museum has gathered together works of all the main protagonists in the movement, including Klimt and Moser. And they’ve put them up on the wall alongside the world-renowned Expressionists, Gerstl and Kokoschka. To make the exhibition a well-rounded experience, they have also collected outstanding examples of design, from furniture to posters, out of the Wiener Werkstätte era.
Egon Schiele Jubiläumsschau
When: FRI, February 23 – THU, November 4
Where: Leopold Museum
Entry: 13€ (9€ students)
Egon Schiele is a rock star in terms of modernist painters. And his groupies are aplenty. And to honor one of the leading forces in the modernist movement, the Leopold Museum is currently presenting over 40 paintings and 180 works on paper by the very talented Austrian painter. This exhibition will tell the story of how the artist’s work developed, and how he was influenced by other great artists of this period. The museum’s founder, Rudolf Leopold, was a great admirer of Schiele’s radically expressive phase, so it’s more than apt that the gallery holds an exhibition in good old Egon’s name, especially as this year also marks the 100-year-anniversary of Schiele’s death.
Stairway to Klimt. Mit Klimt auf Augenhöhe.
When: TUE, February 13 – SUN, September 2
Where: KHM Wien
Entry: 15€ (11€ students)
Gustav Klimt is being put center stage at the Kunsthistorisches Museum for the first half of this year. And in a unique way. 2018 marks the 100-year-anniversary of Gustav Klimt’s death, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum has thus dedicated an exhibition in his honour. This is not an exhibition per se, but instead, visitors get a chance to take a closer look at paintings that are displayed twelve metres above ground. These unique masterpieces made by Klimt are part of the Main Staircase in the museum, and visitors will now be able to walk on a huge bridge across so they are eye to eye with Klimt. Have a sneak peek at the bridge and the exhibition, here:
[fve] https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=81&v=cknZx3UAK8Q[/fve]
Otto Wagner
When: THU, March 15 – SUN, October 7
Where: Wien Museum
Entry: 10€ (7€ students), free every first Sunday of the month
The fellow that left so many great, beautiful marks on our fine city is also part of the parade of dead creators of beauty being celebrated this year. The 20th century architect and designer, Otto Wagner, also died 100 years ago and so the Wien Museum is putting on a show. In this jubilee exhibition, and the first exhibition dedicated to Otto in fifty years, the Wien Museum is looking to shine a light on this titan of urban architecture and how he was influenced by friends, fiends, and the cultural and political environment of the time.
Josef Mikl. Das satirische Werk / The Satirical Work
When: THU, February 1 – SUN, April 1
Where: MUSA
Entry: free!
A different kind of exhibition to check out until the end of this month (March) will be happeing in MUSA, and it’s free! Josef Mikl, the abstract painter, sculptor, and some form of Informal and Modernist artist, will be showcased, with his satirical works on display. This type of work was Mikl’s outlet against the art establishment at the time he was creating. His most famous character is a journalist eater – sounds fascinating, if you ask us. Which you didn’t, but we thought we’d tell you anyway.
Das Wiener Aquarell
When: FRI, February 16 – SUN, May 13
Where: Albertina
Entry: 12.90€ (8.50€ students)
This exhibition at the Albertina will put Viennese watercolor in the spotlight. The golden age for this form of painting played out during the Biedermeier era (that’s 1815 til 1848, in case you didn’t know, and yes, we had to google it as well). Apparently, this movement’s style is known for its transparent lightness, brilliant colours, and a special atmospheric impression. Let us know if you can actually spot those qualities in the pictures on the walls when you there and hastag it with #culturedasfuck.
Director’s Choice. Meisterwerke aus der Fotosammlung.
When: WED, March 7 – SUN, June 10
Where: Albertina
Entry: 12.90€ (8.50€ students)
In this exhibition, you’ll get to see a representative selection of the Albertina’s extensive photography collection (they’ve got more than 100,000 works up their sleeve… well, you know what we mean). The photography that make up the 120-piece exhibition has been handpicked by the gallery’s director, and will include photo art from across the spectrum, from street photography, to portraits, architectural, and landscape photography. This is an exciting exhibition for all fans of the image captured by the lens.
Keith Haring. The Alphabet.
When: FRI, March 16 – SUN, June 24
Where: Albertina
Entry: 12.90€ (8.50€ students)
Keith Haring is known for his pop art and graffiti-like style in his paintings. The Albertina will be dedicating an exhibition to the US-based artist who died in the 90s at the age of only 32. The theme of the artist’s work is usually social justice and constant transformation, and Haring’s unique symbolic language will at the centre of this exhibition.
Oliver Ressler. How to occupy a shipwreck
When: THU, January 25 – MON, April 2
Where: Kunst Haus Wien
Entry: 9€ (5€ students)
An exhibition by the Austrian artist, activist and filmmaker Oliver Ressler, is currently on at the Kunst Haus Wien. He is known for his extensive research and elaborate implementation of work that makes a statement. In his current work, ‘How to occupy a shipwreck,’ you’ll get to watch four films from a series that documents pivotal moments in the climate change movement. This is truly a seriously thought-provoking experience.
Anna Witt. Human Flag
When: WED, February 28 – SUN, May 27
Where: 21er Haus
Entry: 8€ (6€ students)
This one is for those of us who are fired up by political discussions. Made up of three video installations by Anna Witt, a German artist living and working in Vienna, this contemporary exhibition at the 21er Haus is looking at the most important issues of our time in an original way. Anna deals with some big questions and likes to explore how us humans relate to each other and the systems that govern us, including economically and politically. Her protagonists are either randomly, or carefully selected to participate in experimental arrangements that reflect the interpersonal relations and power relations.
Günter Brus. Unruhe nach dem Sturm/ Unrest after the storm
When: FRI, February 2 – SUN, August 12
Where: 21er Haus
Entry: 8€ (6€ students)
He’s one of the pioneers of performance art, and his name is Günter Brus. Because it’s his 80th birthday, the Belvedere 21 is currently hosting an exhibition to pay homage to him. In this rather comprehensive retrospective showcase, the museum will shine a light on the Austrian artist’s oeuvre (we’re so sophisticated, aren’t we?!) and the way he uses the body as a canvas, and a screen to critique society. You’ll have time until August to see this exhibition. Plus this exhibition is a super special one because the Belvedere has teamed up with the pioneering augmented reality app, Artivive which adds an extra dimension to the experience that see the art come to life.
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