“That’s not a painting. THAT’S a painting.” As Crocodile Dundee might have said. The Colossal exhibition at Lower Belvedere makes space for the kind of large format magnificence that rarely finds its way into galleries.
- Around 20 works
- from the Baroque to the contemporary
- Largest is over 10m long
- Makart, Oppenheimer, Nitsch, and more
- Runs June 22 – August 27, 2023
- Book Lower Belvedere tickets* online
- See also:
- Overview of Lower Belvedere
- Art exhibitions in Vienna
Painting on a grand scale
(Hans Makart, Venice pays tribute to Caterina Cornaro, 1872–1873; press photo courtesy of and © Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Wien)
I live in constant awe of those who can create art.
The respect dial goes up to 11 for those working in miniature (check the 16th-century rosary pendant in the Kunstkammer of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, for example).
And the dial stays at 11 for those working on a grander scale.
Imagine Michelangelo on his back beneath the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. Grumbling as another drop of paint hits his furrowed brow. How? That level of genius remains beyond my comprehension.
Giant works rarely make their way into art exhibitions for obvious logistical reasons. Pulling a painting from the archive presents a particular challenge when said painting is longer than your average SUV.
And then you have the simple issue of wall space.
So Lower Belvedere’s Colossal exhibition offers a rare opportunity: a chance to see some powerful large-format paintings from the Belvedere collection.
(Tina Blau, Spring in the Prater, 1882; press photo courtesy of and © Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Wien)
Around twenty works feature, ranging from Baroque era religious scenes to contemporary art.
The largest is by Hans Makart (who gets an entire room to his monumental history paintings). Makart’s 1872/1873 Venice pays tribute to Caterina Cornaro is over 10m long and covers an area of around 42.4m2 or over six full-sized snooker tables.
Other names from the past include Carl Moll, Tina Blau, and Max Oppenheimer, whose Die Philharmoniker almost stretches 5m.
On the modern front, more abstract approaches in large format gain a particular stark power. Enjoy works by some modern Austrian greats like Herbert Brandl, Jakob Gasteiger, Hubert Schiebl and Hermann Nitsch.
The latter’s 1983 untitled work comes closest to Makart-like dimensions at almost 6m in length.
Dates, tickets & tips
Browse the large format paintings from June 22nd to August 27th, 2022. A valid entrance ticket for or from Lower Belvedere includes the exhibition.
(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)
By definition, you won’t find many works of similar size elsewhere in Vienna. Though the picture galleries in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) have a few by Old Masters.
Sadly, museums don’t let you sort their digital database by physical dimensions. But two paintings at the KHM stick in my mind:
- Caravaggio’s Madonna of the Rosary (almost 10m2)
- The Miracles of St. Francis Xavier by Peter Paul Rubens (which comes in at over 21m2)
Another solid option is the Beethoven frieze by Gustav Klimt over at the Secession building. So long even Makart would be jealous.
How to get to Lower Belvedere
Just follow the tips on the Belvedere directions page.
Address: Rennweg 6, 1030 Vienna
(Article icon courtesy of the Met Museum)