Top art from leading galleries, all wrapped up in neorenaissance architecture: welcome to the WIKAM art fair.
- Around 26 galleries
- Hosted in glorious Palais Ferstel
- Art to view/buy from across the centuries
- Features prominent Austrian and international artists
- 2027 dates: TBA (was Feb 28 – Mar 8 in 2026)
- Book a classical concert* for your trip
- See also:
A duo of delights
(An entrance of promise)
Noble townhouses fill Vienna’s centre. Yet most guard their interiors fiercely, with public access limited to quick peeks through lighted windows as the city falls into dusk.
Fortunately, many such townhouses open for events. Classical concerts unlock the doors to Palais Eschenbach and Palais Auersperg, for example.
To see inside Palais Ferstel, built in 1860, you can pop into Café Central on the ground floor. But an even grander opportunity is the WIKAM art fair: an annual event that first appeared over 45 years ago.
WIKAM delivers a duo of delights with both art and architecture to admire. In the case of the former, this includes the option to buy what you can see.
On my visit, 26 galleries showcased art that ranged from Egyptian antiquities and baroque furniture to modern and contemporary graphical works.
(The palais also hosts the popular Café Central)
The selection included a number of Austrian artists whose renown extends far beyond the Alps. Maria Lassnig, for example. Erwin Wurm and Alfons Walde. Kubin and Kumpf. Arnulf Rainer and Arik Brauer (one of my favourites). To name just a few.
The international names featured also spoke to the quality of the event. Here a Dürer woodcut and Rembrandt etching, there a Warhol, Chagall or Alex Katz print.
Rather lovely architecture surrounds all that art. The palais interior feels like a renaissance Hogwarts, albeit with Picasso more likely to feature than Potter.
The suspended staircases and marble handrails, for example, evoke Venetian and Florentine flair. As if the Doge might join you shortly for wine and a portrait session with an aspiring painter named Tiziano Vecellio. Ultramarine blue will cost extra, mind you.
Dates, tickets & tips
I don’t have dates at the time of writing for the 2027 WIKAM. For the record, the previous edition ran from February 28th to March 8th. You normally buy tickets on the door. See the official website for details.
To enjoy more of the kind of art featured at the fair, visit one of Vienna’s many art museums or exhibitions. And other art fairs fill the Viennese calendar, too. Check this list, for example. Or browse my monthly event overviews.
Should you want more of Palais Ferstel, then grab a coffee at the aforementioned Café Central. I’d recommend booking a table, though, as queues to get in are almost constant throughout the year.
How to get there
Trams won’t get you there directly, as Palais Ferstel is in the old town. Although it’s only a short walk from Schottentor station which serves trams 1, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 71, and D.
Subway: just a short walk from the Herrengasse station on the U3 line.
Bus: the trams don’t go through the centre, but buses 1A and 2A both also stop at Herrengasse.
Address: Strauchgasse 4, 1010 Vienna