Take a foray into the last few decades of international art: the Albertina’s Warhol to Richter exhibition offers a pot pourri of intriguing works from post-WWII to the present day.
- Features the likes of Warhol, Helnwein, Lichtenstein, Kiefer, Katz, and others
- Diverse mix of contemporary and modern art
- Runs from May 27 – Sept 6, 2020
- See also:
- Current Albertina visitor & tickets info
- Current & future art exhibitions
“From the collections”
The Albertina’s most famous work of art appeared over 500 years ago. But the museum’s collection and reach extends through the centuries to include modern and contemporary art genres.
The Warhol to Richter exhibition gives you a glimpse into more recent acquisitions and permanent loans, with selected artwork from the past 70 or so years.
Consider it a taster menu covering various post-1945 approaches. A series of around 80 artistic tapas, but one where each dish was prepared by a chef of genius and renown. Just how much genius and renown becomes clear from a brief sample of some of the artists featured. For example:
- Roy Lichtenstein. Wallpaper with Blue Floor Interior, for example, confronts you as you emerge from the bottom of the escalator into the exhibition space
- Gottfried Helnwein, subject of a hugely successful solo exhibition at the Albertina back in 2013
Helnwein’s Epiphany 1 (The Adoration of the Magi 3) is an utterly arresting piece which features Nazi officers in the imagery of the traditional biblical theme.
The same adjective might be applied to Epiphany III (Presentation at the Temple 2) with its disfigured British POWs standing around a sleeping girl. The iconography echoes, for example, Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.
- Like Helnwein, Anselm Kiefer refuses to shy away from controversial themes. The exhibition offers the chance to see five of his large three-dimensional works, including Mercaba from 2006, which combines Kabbalist elements with a sunken (German?) submarine
- The giant of pop art, Andy Warhol. The poster piece for the exhibition is one of Warhol’s works featuring the Mercedes-Benz W125 Grand Prix racing car
Among the other exhibits: Warhol’s 8-part Mao Tse-Tung silkscreen series from 1972 and eight Campbell Soup tins. he also makes a significant appearance at the MUMOK in late 2020 / early 2021.
- Gerhard Richter, a master of contemporary art from across the border in Germany
Be sure to catch the extraordinary Woman Drinking from 1968. An abstract mass of black and white strokes only resolves into the motif when you step back a few paces. Later in 2020, the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien dedicates an entire exhibition to Richter’s works.
- US artist, Alex Katz, who has numerous works within the Albertina collection
Dates, tickets & tips
Admire the modern art from May 27th to September 6th, 2020. The exhibition requires no extra fee, just a normal ticket for the Albertina (or a suitable sightseeing pass).
How to get to the exhibition
Follow directions for the Albertina (slap bang in the middle of the old town where all the historic buildings are). The exhibition takes up the lower level of the museum, I believe: go left once you’re past the ticket control.
If you like your art with a modern touch, then pop along to the Albertina’s new location: the Albertina Modern does what it says on the label. A parallel exhibition (The Beginning) showcases the more recent work of Austria’s community of artists, so you’ll find, for example, Maria Lassnig there, too.
Address: Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna