Albertina

Schätze der ALBERTINA. Kunstgespräche zu Meisterwerken

The Art Talks are a format designed for everyone interested in art! Much like a radio program, masterpieces, as well as artists from the ALBERTINA collections, are introduced. We provide interesting insights about the treasures of the ALBERTINA through discussion, and we especially welcome participation from individuals with visual impairments or blindness.

The Viennese Bohème

Works from the Hagen Society

In 1905, the Hagen Society confidently donated over 800 drawings to the ALBERTINA, a significant gesture that underscores their influence as a precursor to the Secession and the Hagenbund. Between 1880 and 1900, members of this Viennese artist society gathered frequently at the Zum blauen Freihaus pub and Café Sperl. This lively environment fostered the creation of numerous drawings and watercolors from artists like Josef Engelhardt, Adolf Böhm, Rudolf Bacher, Johann Victor Krämer, and others. Using this impressive collection, ALBERTINA presents its inaugural exhibition featuring portraits, caricatures, grotesques, depictions of Viennese characters, dreamlike landscapes, and drawings that hint at the upcoming Secession movement. Many of these works were featured in the art magazine Ver Sacrum, marking this exhibition as a vital contribution to the study of Viennese modernism.

Leiko Ikemura

Motherscapes

This exhibition at the ALBERTINA showcases a selection of works by Leiko Ikemura (*1951 in Tsu, Japan). Renowned for her poetically impactful art where she merges Western and Eastern influences, this Japanese-Swiss artist explores themes such as femininity, transformation, and identity. Ikemura captures the fragility and enigma of human existence in images that are both universal and deeply personal. Her body of work is distinguished by its surreal visual language and includes a range of luminous paintings, simplified drawings, and sculptures made from glazed terracotta, glass, and bronze. A central theme of her work is the close connection between humanity and nature, illustrated by the blending of body and landscape as well as through the representation of hybrid beings.

Lisette Model

Retrospektive

Lisette Model (1901–1983), originating from a Jewish family in Vienna, is regarded as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. The exhibition at ALBERTINA showcases a comprehensive retrospective of her most significant body of work from 1933 to 1957. In addition to iconic photographs such as 'Coney Island Bather' and 'Café Metropole', there are also rarely exhibited works on display. Following her emigration to New York in 1938, Model quickly gained recognition, capturing the complexities of urban life for magazines like Harper’s Bazaar: the poverty of the Lower East Side, the leisure activities of the upper class, and the nightlife in bars and jazz clubs. During the McCarthy era, Model became a renowned teacher. This exhibition also features the first public presentation of the original draft of her 1979 monograph, a classic in the history of photography books.

Gothic Modern

Munch, Beckmann, Kollwitz

Commonly understood as a fundamental break with tradition, modernism has overlooked the significant role played by a deliberate return to the distant past of the late Middle Ages in the reinvention of art around 1900. This exhibition illuminates a development from 1870 to 1920, showcasing how numerous artists, including Edvard Munch, Vincent van Gogh, Käthe Kollwitz, Max Beckmann, and Otto Dix, were inspired by the expressive art of figures like Holbein, Dürer, Cranach, and Baldung Grien. Their encounters with medieval aesthetics stirred deep emotions and opened new avenues for artists to grapple with core questions of human existence. The exhibition at ALBERTINA uniquely combines masterpieces of modern art with those from the 15th and early 16th centuries.

The Fascination of Paper

New perspectives on the collection

The ALBERTINA houses one of the largest collections of drawings, prints, and artistic works on paper worldwide. This remarkable exhibition explores the richness and allure of paper in its various forms. Spanning several centuries from the 15th century to the modern era, it features works from the Graphic Art Collection, the Architectural Collection, and the Collection of Contemporary Art. Among the displays are copperplate engravings for playing cards, large-scale three-dimensional objects, and rarely exhibited pieces that showcase the full spectrum of this unique collection and its artistic style. These unexpected combinations powerfully demonstrate the versatility of paper as a medium.