The city has numerous history, science, and art exhibitions on (or planned) at any one time. This list covers the major museums and venues. Click/tap to view by topic:
- Personal tips for the coming days
- Art history & art around 1900
- Modern and contemporary art
- Design & architecture
- Photography
- History, culture & current affairs
- Science, nature & music
A few notes:
- Most locations have permanent displays too, of course. So you’ll always find Klimt at the Belvedere and Leopold museums, for example
- Many also have small exhibitions and installations or those intended for local audiences, which I often won’t cover here
- Check the event listings for suggested exhibition highlights for each month of the year
- Exhibitions in Vienna almost always present information in at least English and German, but you may find one or two exceptions
- See also:
Tips for now
(Michelangelo Buonarroti; Male Nude Seen from Rear, c. 1504; black chalk, heightened with white; press photo © The ALBERTINA Museum, Vienna)
Michelangelo and…
- The human form in art
- Begins with Michelangelo
- …Dürer, Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Klimt & more
- Drawings & prints focus
- Runs until Jan 14th, 2024
- At the Albertina…
Special mention(s)
- Raphael: Gold & Silk (from Sept 26th, 2023): monumental Renaissance tapestries, Raphael drawings, & more. Including something rather special from the Vatican Museums
- Louise Bourgeois (until Jan 28th, 2024): a cornucopia of creativity from this French-American icon
What art exhibitions are on?
Let us begin with…
Art history & art around 1900
(The Kunsthistorisches Museum)
I update this section about once a month, but do check locally and with official sites for any changes, particularly to the dates of future exhibitions.
Albertina
- Michelangelo and Beyond: the traditional major year-end exhibition features the great master and his influence on both his peers and later artists (September 15th, 2023 to January 14th, 2024)
Lower Belvedere
- Broncia Koller-Pinell: as well as covering her own works largely within the context of the Wiener Moderne, the exhibition also examines her artistic network and her efforts to promote art (March 15th to September 8th, 2024)
- Akseli Gallen-Kallela: first solo exhibition in Austria for this Finnish artist with an international reputation, building on his participation in secessionist exhibitions in Vienna just after 1900 (September 27th, 2024 to February 2nd, 2025)
Upper Belvedere
- Franz Anton Maulbertsch: taking a closer look at the work of this artist, who so influenced central European painting in the latter half of the 1700s; part of the IM BLICK series (April 12th to September 29th, 2024)
- Gustav Klimt. Pigment & Pixel: digging a little deeper into Klimt’s world of colour to examine his methods and processes. Includes a close look at the techniques and materials used to create The Kiss (October 11th, 2024 to March 30th, 2025)
Kunsthistorisches Museum
- Raphael – Gold & Silk: the major year-end exhibition reveals the glory of monumental tapestries from the Renaissance (September 26th, 2023 to January 14th, 2024)
- Around the World in 80 Coins: coins as the traveler’s companion, with anecdotes concerning historical personalities (April 26th, 2022 to January 28th, 2024)
- Point of View exhibitions that focus on a single piece and provide often intriguing background detail:
- Mary and Child by the Master of the Benda Madonna (June 23rd, 2023 to January 14th, 2024)
- Philemon and Baucis by the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens (dates TBA)
- Back in the Future: a closer look at the troubled history of a single Greek beaker (June 1st to October 1st, 2023)
- In Love with Laura: small exhibition centred around Francesco Laurana’s Renaissance Female Bust, a rare example of coloured marble and perhaps hiding a tale of unrequited love? (June 20th to October 15th, 2023)
- Taboo?: part of the Vitrine EXTRA series of small exhibitions of one or more artefacts from antiquity. This one looks at taboos through the ages, with the unmissable opportunity to see, for example, a flying phallus on a Greek gem work (October 6th, 2023 to February 11th, 2024)
- Holbein. Burgkmair. Dürer: provisionally an exhibition on the centre of Renaissance art in Augsburg and northern Europe, featuring works by Hans Holbein the Elder and Hans Burgkmair the Elder in dialogue with those of Albrecht Dürer. Other painters like Hans Holbein the Younger also feature (March 19th to June 30th, 2024)
- Rembrandt – Hoogstraten: provisionally a major Rembrandt exhibition that presents his works in dialogue with those by his student, Samuel van Hoogstraten (October 8th, 2024 to January 12th, 2025)
Wien Museum
- Secessions – Klimt, Stuck, Liebermann: shines a light on the secessionist art movements in Vienna, Munich and Berlin around 1900 (from May 23rd to October 13th, 2024)
Academy of Fine Arts
- History Tales. Fact and Fiction in History Pictures: art from the genre in the context of various perspectives, with both historical and contemporary examples (September 27th, 2023 to May 26th, 2024)
Heidi Horten Collection
- Focus on Gustav Klimt: his Church in Unterach on Lake Attersee takes centre stage alongside graphic works from both the same era and more contemporary times (November 24th, 2023 to June 2nd, 2024)
Dom Museum
- Being mortal: historical and contemporary art in an exploration of death in individual, collective and sociopolitical contexts (October 6th, 2023 to August 25th, 2024)
Modern art & contemporary art
(The Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien)
I update this section about once a month, but do check locally and with official sites for any changes, particularly to the dates of future exhibitions.
Albertina
- VALIE EXPORT: retrospective for this Austrian art icon, with videos, (mainly) photos, drawings, and installations (June 23rd to October 1st, 2023)
- Ofer Lellouche: solo exhibition for the Tunisian artist (June 29th to September 19th, 2023)
- Gottfried Helnwein: selected works from the last two decades (October 25th, 2023 to February 18th, 2024)
- Katharina Grosse: solo exhibition with new art developed specifically for the location (November 1st, 2023 to February 25th, 2024)
- Roy Lichtenstein: a huge retrospective commemorating his 100th birthday and featuring numerous loans from prestigious international institutions (March 8th to July 14th, 2024)
Albertina Modern
- Yoshitomo Nara: paintings, objects and graphic works from the contemporary Japanese artist (May 10th to November 1st, 2023)
- Germany – Austria: Painting 1970 to 2020: presents top artists from the two countries in dialogue, drawing on prestigious works from the in-house collection (September 6th, 2023 to January 21st, 2024)
- The Beauty of Diversity: an exhibition that presents artistic diversity in its widest sense, including underrepresented voices in contemporary art (February 16th to August 18th, 2024)
Upper Belvedere
- ambulant # 05: a mobile light sculpture by Marina Faust as the latest in the Carlone Contemporary series (March 8th to October 15th, 2023)
- Public Matters: contemporary sculptures from various artists in the Baroque gardens (May 13th to October 1st, 2023)
- Dust to Dust: Michail Michailov continues the Carlone Contemporary series with a modular work previously shown at the 2022 Biennale von Venedig (October 19th, 2023 to April 14th, 2024)
Lower Belvedere
- Public Matters: contemporary sculptures from various artists in the privy garden and palace courtyard (May 13th to October 1st, 2023)
- Louise Bourgeois: major solo exhibition with her paintings from the 1940s in dialogue with her art from later decades (September 22nd, 2023 to January 28th, 2024)
Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien
- Robert Motherwell: solo exhibition for the American abstract expressionist (October 12th, 2023 to January 14th, 2024)
- House of Constructs: Aldo Giannotti in collaboration with Karin Pauer turn the exhibition area into a dynamic space at the interface between work and art (June 13th to June 30th, 2024)
Leopold Museum
- Max Oppenheimer: solo exhibition helping return this pioneering expressionist to his rightful position in art history (October 6th, 2023 to February 25th, 2024)
- Gabriele Münter: retrospective for this leading proponent of German avant garde art (October 20th, 2023 to February 18th, 2024)
Marx Halle
- Frida Kahlo: immersive exhibition on her life and works (April 27th to October 5th, 2023)
The MAK
- Land of Lashes: solo exhibition for Rosemarie Castoro (May 24th to October 1st, 2023)
- Gertie Fröhlich: exhibition honouring the varied aspects of this multifaceted Austrian artist and designer (September 13th, 2023 to March 3rd, 2024)
- 100 Best Posters: another iteration of this competition featuring the top works from artistic poster design in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria (September 27th, 2023 to March 3rd, 2024)
- Wong Ping: solo exhibition for this creator of animations and installations (October 25th, 2023 to March 31st, 2024)
Kunst Haus Wien
- CLOSE/D: artistic interventions in the surrounding local community while the main museum undergoes renovation (June 28th to October 31st, 2023)
MUMOK
- Solo exhibitions:
- Adam Pendleton (March 31st, 2023 to January 7th, 2024)
- Agnes Fuchs (May 5th to October 8th, 2023)
- Elisabeth Wild (May 5th, 2023 to January 7th, 2024)
- Benoît Piéron (October 26th, 2023 to January 7th, 2024)
- On Stage. All the Art World’s a Stage: exploring artistic expression in theatrical and stage-related form (March 15th, 2023 to January 7th, 2024)
- Avant-Garde and Liberation: global modernism and its relevance to contemporary art (from June 7th to September 22nd, 2024)
Wien Museum MUSA
- 2000s. Bye-bye confidence: themes like migration, terrorism and ecology, as seen through the contemporary art of the first decade of the 21st century (October 19th, 2023 to March 17th, 2024)
The Kunsthalle
All at the MuseumsQuartier site unless marked as the Karlsplatz site.
- Exhibitions for the works of:
- Laure Prouvost (May 11th to October 1st, 2023)
- Denise Ferreira da Silva & Arjuna Neuman (Karlsplatz: October 5th, 2023 to March 17th, 2024)
- No feeing is final: international group exhibition with a focus on the works and story of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje (April 20th, 2023, to January 28th, 2024)
- Darker, Lighter, Puffy, Flat: international group exhibition around the breast and its various meanings (November 29th, 2023 to April 14th, 2024)
Belvedere 21
- On the New: multiple artists, curators, and projects present a wide-ranging selection of contemporary Austrian art
- Part II: July 14th, 2023 to October 15th, 2023
- Part III: October 26th, 2023 to January 14th, 2024
- Public Matters: contemporary sculptures from various artists in the garden area (May 13th to October 1st, 2023)
- Belvedere Art Award: solo exhibition for the winner of this new art prize (September 8th, 2023 to February 18th, 2024)
- Renate Bertlmann: major retrospective for this national great and major figure in the Austrian (feminist) avant-garde (September 29th, 2023 to March 3rd, 2024)
- Angelika Loderer: solo exhibition that includes an installation designed specifically for Belvedere 21 (March 6th, 2024 to September 15th, 2024)
- Walter Pichler < > Friedrich Kiesler: a dialogue between these two artists (June 28th to October 6th, 2024)
Academy of Fine Arts
- History Tales. Fact and Fiction in History Pictures: examples of the genre in the context of various perspectives and featuring both historical and contemporary art (September 27th, 2023 to May 26th, 2024)
Künstlerhaus
- HUMAN_NATURE: the 2023 members exhibition (June 15th to September 17th, 2023)
- Systemrelevant: the value of art for today’s society (October 5th, 2023 to February 18th, 2024)
Heidi Horten Collection
- RENDEZ-VOUS: focuses on numerous French artists in the collection in the context of influential French locations, particularly Picasso, Chagall and Klein (May 6th to October 29th, 2023)
- WOW2: selection of collection highlights with a focus on themes of expressionism, the 60s/70s, and paintings & sculpture on the spectrum between the figurative and abstract (November 24th, 2023 to June 2nd, 2024)
- Focus on Gustav Klimt: new exhibition series begins with Klimt’s Church in Unterach on Lake Attersee in combination with graphic works of his peers and in dialogue with more contemporary art (November 24th, 2023 to June 2nd, 2024)
Weltmuseum Wien
- Dark Pairing: Wie-yi T. Lauw’s screen images offer a metaphor that invites critical examination of colonialism (May 20th, 2021 to September 30th, 2023)
- Science Fiction(s): a look at the future and science fiction through the lens of contemporary artists and indigenous voices (March 30th, 2023 to January 9th, 2024)
- Beyond the Future: presenting various forms of modern Japanese calligraphy (March 30th, 2023 to January 9th, 2024)
- Whatever you throw at the sea: installation by Zara Julius (April 27th, 2023 to April 2nd, 2024)
- Fruits of Labour: solo exhibition for Maximilian Prüfer and his examination of two historical campaigns by Mao in China and their resonance for today’s world (May 18th, 2023 to July 9th, 2024)
Dom Museum
- Being mortal: historical and contemporary art in an exploration of death in individual, collective and sociopolitical contexts (October 6th, 2023 to August 25th, 2024)
Theseus Temple
- Space Mosque: artist Saks Afridi poses the question of what might pass if all our prayers were answered (April 21st to October 8th, 2023)
Design & architecture
(The MAK)
I update this section about once a month, but do check locally and with official sites for any changes, particularly to the dates of future exhibitions.
The MAK
- The 1873 World Fair in Vienna: explores the event through the lens of the prevailing orientalism of the time, particularly as it pertained to Japan and Egypt (June 28th to October 22nd, 2023)
- Critical Consumption: a critical perspective on fashion consumerism as reflected in textiles through the ages (August 30th, 2023 to September 8th, 2024)
- Berta and Bernard Rudofsky Collection: textiles related to the former’s clothes and the latter’s life and work as designer, exhibition curator, architect, etc. (October 4th to November 26th, 2023)
- Stars, Feathers, Tassels: showcasing the work of Felice Rix, a renowned artist and designer for the Wiener Werkstätte (November 22nd, 2023 to April 21st, 2024)
- Fabric of Community: an exploration of textiles and ceramics in contemporary art from a range of viewpoints (December 13th, 2023 to April 28th, 2024)
Wien Museum
- Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach: on the Karlskirche and other Viennese buildings by this Baroque architect (February 1st to April 28th, 2024)
National Library
- Of Gardens and People: looks at design and landscaping in gardens and parks across the centuries (March 30th to November 5th, 2023)
Vienna Furniture Museum
- German Design 1949–1989: a comparison of post-WWII design in West and East Germany, exploring the differences, similarities and interactions (September 13th, 2023 to January 14th, 2024)
Architekturzentrum Wien
- Hollein Calling: looks at the work and influence of this great Austrian architect from contemporary perspective (September 21st, 2023 to February 12th, 2024)
- Back and Forth Cost Estimates, Breastfeeding and Turnaround Strategies / Positions of our Generation: the top-of-mind issues for the next generation of Austrian architects (October 5th to November 20th, 2023)
- On Tourism (NB: my translation): analyses various aspects of tourism, particularly from social, planning, ecological and economic viewpoints (March 21st to September 9th, 2024)
Theatermuseum
- Costume exhibition: costume design drawings by Monika von Zallinger (May 5th to November 6th, 2023)
Ringturm
- Anti-violence (my translation): exhibition within the context of wider campaigns against violence. Focuses on domestic and situational violence and the role that art and safe public spaces can play in prevention and awareness-building (October 9th to October 27th, 2023)
Photography
(Westlicht)
I update this section about once a month, but do check locally and with official sites for any changes, particularly to the dates of future exhibitions.
Albertina
- Joel Sternfeld: with a strong focus on his American Prospects series (September 28th, 2023 to January 21st, 2024)
Foto Arsenal Wien (MQ Freiraum & Salon)
- Schattenwinde: solo exhibition for Gundula Schulze Eldowy (September 1st to November 19th, 2023)
- Mine and Yours: solo exhibition for Mari Katayama (September 1st to November 19th, 2023)
Westlicht
- World Press Photo 23: the annual exhibition highlight (September 15th to November 12th, 2023)
- Paparazzi! (from October, 2023)
Jewish Museum
- Maria Austria: the works of the celebrated photographer, who survived WWII in hiding in the Netherlands (June 21st, 2023 to January 14th, 2024)
National Library
- Yoichi Okamoto: the work of the photographer, notably his documentation of the rebuilding of Vienna and Austria after WWII (November 23rd, 2023 to March 3rd, 2024)
Natural History Museum
- Insides: Stefan Oláh’s behind-the-scenes series of photos of the museum (from September 13th, 2023. End date unknown at the time of writing)
Other major exhibitions
History, culture & current affairs
(The Jewish Museum main site)
I update this section about once a month, but do check locally and with official sites for any changes, particularly to the dates of future exhibitions.
Lower Belvedere
- The Belvedere. 300 Years a Venue for Art: celebrates the 300-year anniversary of Belvedere with a comprehensive review of its role through time (December 2nd, 2022 to February 25th, 2024)
Weltmuseum
- Extinctions!?: explores narratives of extinction from different perspectives (February 23rd, 2023 to April 2nd, 2024)
- Science Fiction(s): a look at the future and science fiction through the lens of contemporary artists and indigenous voices (March 30th, 2023 to January 9th, 2024)
Jewish Museum
- Guilt: how we deal with (or fail to deal with) guilt, whether taken upon yourself or “inherited” (March 28th to October 29th, 2023)
- Super Jews: a look at the Jewish history and fan culture of five professional football clubs from Austria, Holland, England, and Germany (July 12th, 2023 to January 14th, 2024)
- Frieden (my translation: peace): a small exhibition on a topic that remains particularly relevant given the recent European experience (November 7th, 2023 to May 26th, 2024)
- WHO CARES?: an exploration of caring from a Jewish, historical and holistic perspective (January 31st to September 1st, 2024)
- Viennese Nostalgia (my translation): an exhibition around the etchings and biography of Emil Singer, dealing with such topics as the challenges of escaping Nazi-run Austria in WWII, the restitution of art, and similar (February 14th to September 1st, 2024)
Theatermuseum
- Showbiz made in Vienna: explores the film and theatre dynasty that was the Marischka family (October 18th, 2023 to September 9th, 2024)
- Walk of Fame: places a spotlight on 14 Jewish theatrical personalities from 1900-1938 that history has largely forgotten (November, 2023 to February, 2024)
House of Austrian History
- End of Testimony?: looks at the relationship between Holocaust survivors and those who interview them (January 27th to September 3rd, 2023)
Marx Halle
- Tutankhamen: immersive exhibition around ancient Egypt (October 19th, 2023 to provisionally January 21st, 2024)
Imperial Carriage Museum
- Sisi’s Mystery Dress: reconstruction of one of Empress Elisabeth’s dresses, based on real material and a portrait. Excitingly, it may (but possibly not) have been part of her wedding dress (May 12th to November 5th, 2023)
Literature Museum
- Ingeborg Bachmann: a homage to the acclaimed Austrian writer featuring, for example, items from her estate, letters, photos, recordings, drafts, and more (November 17th, 2022 to November 5th, 2023)
Papyrus Museum
- A present from the Nile: showcases documents illustrating the importance and role of water resources in ancient Egypt (June 14th, 2023 to May 5th, 2024)
Science, nature & music
(No prizes for guessing the name of this museum)
I update this section about once a month, but do check locally and with official sites for any changes, particularly to the dates of future exhibitions.
Naturhistorisches Museum
- Arctic: exploring the intriguing nature (in various senses of the word) of a sensitive region in a state of change. A location intimately connected to our lives, despite its isolation (from November 8th, 2023. End date unknown at the time of writing)
Technisches Museum
- Energiewende: examines the race against time, the challenges, and the possible solutions as we convert to climate-neutral forms of energy production (June 16th, 2023 to December 30th, 2024)
- Smart World: the use, importance, and consequences of smart technologies in daily life (from October 2023)
Sigmund Freud Museum
- Analysis Interminable. Psychoanalytical Schools of Thought after Freud: an introduction to five contemporary psychoanalytic schools (April 19th to October 1st, 2023)
- Narrating Violence: comics as a medium for representing experiences of violence in various contexts (from October 20th, 2023)
Mozarthaus Vienna
- Cherubino alla vittoria!: intriguing exhibition that explores some of the musical background to the ending of the famous Non più andrai aria in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro opera (from January 27th, 2023. End date unknown at the time of writing)