The joy of Vienna’s Belvedere lies in its twin offer:
- Permanent exhibitions full of masterpieces from the likes of Klimt
- A series of top-notch temporary exhibitions that run from medieval altar panels to contemporary art installations
I don’t cover or review every single exhibition (life gets in the way), but enjoy this archive of finished exhibitions that got coverage on these pages. This should give you an idea of the kind of artistic treasures you might stumble upon on a visit…
At Upper Belvedere palace
- Lovis Corinth: traced the evolution of this renowned German artist and his works from early days from a youthful painter to a master of diverse genres, including impressionism and expressionism (ended October 2021).
- Johann Jakob Hartmann: an in-depth look at recently-restored paintings by this pioneering Bohemian artist. The six works on show included his earth, fire, water and air ensemble of landscapes (ended August 2021).
- Elena Luksch-Makowsky: an exhibition that helped redress the unjustified gender balance in traditional coverage of Viennese art around the turn of the century. The Russian-born Luksch-Makowsky worked with the Seccession and Wiener Werkstätte, for example (ended January, 2021)
- The Master of Mondsee: a quite remarkable series of altar paintings commissioned in the late 1400s. The artist remains unknown, but this was the very first time in 200 years that all the panels could be seen together (ended September, 2020)
- Josef Ignaz Mildorfer. Rebel of the Baroque: a 300th birthday celebration for this painter that featured his battle paintings, his influence as a teacher, and his work as a commissioned artist for the high and mighty of central Europe (ended January, 2020)
(More on Upper Belvedere and its exhibitions here)
Carlone Contemporary
The Carlone Contemporary exhibitions are an ongoing series where a single work of contemporary art is placed beneath the early 18th-century ceiling frescoes in the Carlone Hall at Upper Belvedere.
The juxtaposition of old and new forms the context for the series.
- Irene and Christine Hohenbüchler: sculptural objects created by the twins (ended September, 2021)
- Renate Bertlmann: an adaptation of her Discordo Ergo Sum installation, featuring dozens of glass roses (ended January, 2021)
- Walter Pichler. Alte Figur: Pichler’s abstract metal female sculpture protruding from a mattress (ended February, 2020)
- Uli Aigner: a giant multi-coloured porcelain vase (ended November, 2019)
At Lower Belvedere palace
- Wolfgang Paalen (1905–1959): a chronological journey through the life and works of this Austrian surrealist, who was a colleague of Dalí and an influence on the likes of Jackson Pollack. The Fumage oil paintings proved a particular highlight (ended January, 2020)
- Into the Night: a rather wonderful look at how various iconic clubs and cabarets contributed to the creation of art, whether directly (e.g. through posters, decor, and performances) or indirectly (e.g. by fostering artistic expression and exchange). (Ended June, 2020)
(More on Lower Belvedere and its exhibitions here)
In the Orangerie
- Johanna Kandl: an intriguing little exhibition, where Kandl went “behind the scenes” to tell the story of the materials that go into paintings. She illustrated the tale with her own works and those from the Belvedere collections (ended January, 2020)
- Talking Heads: one of my favourites. The exhibition presented a dozen of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s remarkable 18th-century busts, but accompanied by contemporary art that shares a similar theme. Arnulf Rainer and Maria Lassnig were among the prominent artists so featured (ended August 2019)
(More on the Orangerie and its current exhibition here)
At Belvedere 21
This is the one Belvedere institution that I rarely get to, unfortunately. Their remit covers more contemporary works than the main Belvedere site.
- Attersee: a wide-ranging retrospective of the work of Christian Ludwig Attersee that burst with colour and imagination while defying my flimsy abilities to offer any kind of general description (ended August, 2019)
(More on Belvedere 21 here)