
Alfred Kubin (1877-1959) is not for the faint-hearted. The times he lived in and the experiences he lived through contributed to a darker outlook on life. In that vein, an Albertina Modern exhibition reveals his perspective on “evil.”
- Selection from the huge in-house Kubin collection
- Images derive from a powerful imagination
- Around 100 works
- Runs Aug 14, 2025 – Jan 12, 2025
- See also:
- Albertina Modern overview
- Art exhibitions in Vienna
The Aesthetics of Evil

(Alfred Kubin, War, c. 1918, 30.2 × 34.5 cm, ink on paper; The ALBERTINA Museum, Vienna © Eberhard Spangenberg, München / Bildrecht, Vienna 2024)
Combine inherent pessimism with various fears and unfortunate prejudices. Throw in a broad imagination and artistic skill. Then apply all that to the underbelly of human existence and you get…the drawings in the Albertina Modern’s Kubin exhibition.
The Aesthetics of Evil presents works by Kubin on that titular topic, albeit for a wide definition of evil and one that sometimes, unfortunately, reflects misguided views tied to his era.
As such, you see his perspective on such themes as war and its consequences, persecution, and disease. But also on the female gender as temptress or inherent harbinger of death through the woman’s role in giving birth.
The Albertina has around 1,800 of Kubin’s drawings to select from, and the representations often involve grotesque and dystopian images. Apparitions and perversions. Even the literal stuff of nightmares can make an appearance.
(I picked out press photos that are relatively genteel.)

(Alfred Kubin, The Brood, 1903-06, 22.8 × 36.2 cm, ink on paper; The ALBERTINA Museum, Vienna © Eberhard Spangenberg, München / Bildrecht, Vienna 2024)
Occasional levity and banality does bring some light into the darkness of Kubin’s mind, such as an ostrich in gouache or a mystical beast in ink.
Not so long ago I viewed another excellent Kubin exhibition over at Vienna’s Leopold Museum and the effect at The Aesthetics of Evil is similar.
A sojourn through the images has a triple effect.
First a sense of sadness at the persistent contemporary nature of many of the concepts and motifs featured. Even as we head toward the quarter-way mark of the 21st century.
1918’s War (pictured earlier) seems as relevant now as then, for example.
Do we truly live in more enlightened times? More secure times? Objectively, perhaps, but don’t read the papers.

(Alfred Kubin, The Step, c. 1902/03; pen and ink, gray wash, spray, mounted on cardboard; The ALBERTINA Museum, Vienna © Eberhard Spangenberg, München / Bildrecht, Vienna 2024)
I found myself wondering how Kubin might have coped with the cacophony of bad news carried online (and how he might have viewed the perils of social media).
Second, an urgent need for fluffy kittens, flowers and sunlight afterwards.
Third, open questions about the tortured soul behind the drawings. Kubin remains more enigmatic than a superficial browse of works notably lacking in bright colours and roses might suggest.
I visited the artist’s home out in the province of Upper Austria, for example, where details of his social life and local popularity belied the idea of a dark melancholic.
Seeing his living environment, you started to consider how the rural calm and beauty, but also the raw Upper Austrian winters, might have influenced the artistic mind. Kubin certainly tempts you into introspection.
Dates, tickets & tips
Explore Kubin’s rich imagination from August 14th, 2024 to January 12th, 2025. An entrance ticket for or from the Albertina Modern includes all the exhibitions within.
For the early part of the exhibition, you can inject another dose of tristesse and melancholy at the wonderful Gregory Crewdson retrospective over at the main Albertina site.
How to get to Kubin
Just follow the tips at the bottom of the Albertina Modern article.
Address: Karlsplatz 5, 1010 Vienna