The rule of the Princes of Liechtenstein reaches 300 years in 2019, an event celebrated by Vienna’s Albertina museum with an exhibition of works from the princely collections. Everything from, well, Rubens to, um, Makart…
Quick summary
- A rare Vienna outing for many wonderful pieces of art in the Liechtenstein collections
- Includes works by Rubens, Arcimboldo, van Dyck, Canaletto, Makart, and more
- Open daily, Feb 16, 2019 to Jun 10, 2019
- Museum tickets cost €16 for an adult
- The Vienna Pass gives you free entry; skip-the-line tickets* also available
- See also: Albertina tickets & visitor info
What’s the exhibition about?
Like any self-respecting monarchy, the Princes of Liechtenstein didn’t limit themselves to buying snow globes and sticks of rock on their travels. And like all good Princes, they considered patronage of the arts and artists a royal obligation. So a fair few paintings, sculptures and other works found their way into one of the world’s most significant private art collections (and continue to do so).
Exactly 300 years after the creation of the principality by a generous Emperor Charles VI, the Albertina pays homage to Austria’s western neighbour with a special exhibition of some of the masterpieces from the Liechtenstein collection.
Highlights include works by artists of global relevance as well as those representing the creative peaks of more local wielders of brush and chisel. For example:
- Venus at the Mirror (1614/1615) by Peter Paul Rubens, likely modelled on Titian’s 16th-century painting, Venus with a Mirror, that hangs in the USA’s National Gallery of Art
- Earth (1566) by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, one of his Four Elements. Incidentally, two further paintings from the series sit not far from the Albertina: Fire and Water both live in the Kunsthistorisches Museum galleries.
- A painting of the Entrance to the Cannaregio (1735/1742) by Canaletto. A sister painting by the same artist shares the royal connection, since it belongs to the Royal Collection of the UK’s monarchy
- The Death of Cleopatra (1875) by Hans Makart, who dominated the Viennese art scene in the latter part of the 19th century
- Portrait of Princess Marie Franziska von Liechtenstein (1836) by Friedrich von Amerling, possibly the most famous court painter in 19th-century Austria
I was particularly taken by the collection of Waldmüller paintings. The representation of light conditions in his landscapes and country scenes is quite extraordinary, for example in 1853’s The Halted Pilgrimage or 1850’s The Maternal Admonition.
Dates and tickets
The Rubens to Makart exhibition runs from Saturday, February 16, 2019 to Monday, June 10th, 2019. At the time of writing, the Albertina opens daily from 10 am to 6 pm (late opening to 9 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays).
Access this temporary exhibition with an entrance ticket for the Albertina. A standard ticket costs €16 (concessions are available and under 19s are free). There are skip-the-line tickets*, plus the Albertina is covered by the Vienna Pass sightseeing pass (see my Vienna Pass review).
Check locally for the latest times, prices, etc.
Once inside, don’t neglect to visit the Batliner collection, the palace rooms or check for other temporary exhibitions running concurrently with this one.
How to get to the exhibition
See the main Albertina page for how to reach the museum. It’s right in the centre, close to the state opera house.
Address: Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna