It’s all about contemporary art at the Kunsthalle Wien. Prepare to dip your toes into exhibitions which tackle and reflect the social issues and developments of the times we live in.
- Contemporary art organisation that holds regular exhibitions at two venues
- Check out the neighbours at the larger MQ venue for more contemporary art
- Book Kunsthalle tickets* online
- See also:
- Contemporary art exhibitions in Vienna
- The MuseumsQuartier (MQ)
Advocate and art venue
(The imposing background building is the Naturhistorisches Museum)
The Kunsthalle Wien acts as an advocate for contemporary art in Vienna through various activities. These include a constant stream of special exhibitions at the two Kunsthalle locations (see below).
Unlike most of Vienna’s art museums, the Kunsthalle has no permanent display. So don’t think of it as a museum. Consider it more of a forum, a venue, and an instigator of dialogue.
The exhibitions themselves often feature an eclectic mix of styles and forms that act as a counterpoint to the rigid formality of Vienna’s historical surrounds.
You might discover, for example, solo exhibitions for a local or international artist, or a themed group exhibition touching on some sociopolitical issue.
(I’ve listed current and future Kunsthalle exhibitions in the contemporary art section of the Vienna exhibitions page.)
Venue locations
(The Karlsplatz location)
The main Kunsthalle exhibition venue occupies a large building sandwiched between the Leopold and MUMOK museums at the heart of the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) complex.
Inside you’ll find cavernous and tall exhibition spaces but not of the clinical, polished variety: a little rough at the edges that adds to the contemporary feel and impact.
The second exhibition venue is the Kunsthalle on Karlsplatz: a single exhibition room with three sides made entirely of glass and offering views across to the Secession. The interior wall separates the art from the Heuer am Karlsplatz restaurant and bar.
The Karlsplatz venue is bright and airy, whereas the MQ site feels much grittier.
Tickets & visitor tips
The smaller Karlsplatz venue was free to enter at the time of writing, but adults need a ticket for the MuseumsQuartier site.
(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)
A Vienna Pass (my review) also entitles you to one-time free entry.
I last visited at the tail end of the restrictions round COVID, so there was no café in operation at the MQ site then, though I at least spotted where the latter should be.
(The wider MQ complex also has numerous cafés and restaurants within a wave of a paintbrush of the Kunsthalle building.)
Should you wish a coffee or something to eat at the Karlsplatz site, then don’t forget the Heuer restaurant literally the other side of the wall.
Art colleagues
The Kunsthalle remains a bastion of contemporary art in Vienna, but not the only one.
In particular, pop next door to the MuseumsQuartier site to find Vienna’s modern art museum (MUMOK). And the neighbour on the other side (the Leopold Museum) often has contemporary art exhibitions, too.
The wider MuseumsQuartier itself is full of art installations and similar, like the MQ Art Box or the MQ Freiraum / MQ Studio exhibition spaces.
And for other venues and locations covering current genres of artistic expression, try these suggestions.
How to get to the Kunsthalle
For the main location, find your way to the MuseumsQuartier, first.
As you come out into the courtyard from the main MQ entrance, look across diagonally to the right. You’ll see a set of stairs leading up to the dark grey MUMOK building. Beneath those stairs is a relatively innocent-looking glass doorway: that’s the entrance to the Kunsthalle.
The Karlsplatz location might be the easiest museum to reach on public transport in the entire city. The exhibition hall sits on top of Karlsplatz station (U1, U2 and U4 subways). Look for the Wiedner Hauptstraße exit, which is next to the Ressel Park exit on the main underground concourse.
Reach the exhibition hall from the restaurant side by going through the doors beneath the …ALLE W… bit of the Kunsthalle Wien lettering atop the pavilion.
Address: Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna (MQ location) & Treitlstraße 2, 1040 Vienna (Karlsplatz location) | Website