Belvedere

The World in Colors

Slovenian Painting 1848−1918

In collaboration with the National Gallery of Slovenia, the Belvedere presents highlights of Slovenian painting from the era of national emancipation, spanning from the revolutionary year of 1848 to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1918. This exhibition focuses on the central characteristic of local artistic trends during this period: the intense exploration of color. The study of its decorative impact, symbolism, expressive strength, and technical use was rarely as significant in other artistic movements as it was in Slovenian painting around 1900. Following the remarkable painter of the pre-1848 period, Jožef Tominc, other fascinating figures like Jožef Petkovšek and Ivana Kobilca emerged in the latter half of the 19th century. Additionally, by 1900, a group known as the Slovenian Impressionists formed around Rihard Jakopič, Ivan Grohar, Matija Jama, and Matej Sternen. Their style significantly influenced Slovenian art until 1918 and beyond. The exhibition also examines the ambivalent relationship Slovenian artists had with Austria and its capital, Vienna, where many studied or lived temporarily. This ambivalence, stemming from feelings of latent exclusion while simultaneously being reliant on state funding, is explored through numerous documents from the Belvedere Archive, which reveal more nuanced cultural-political connections between Vienna and Ljubljana. Curated by Markus Fellinger (Curator, Belvedere) and Barbara Jaki (Director, NGS), with assistant curators Michel Mohor (Senior Curator, NGS) and Miroslav Haľák (Assistant Curator, Belvedere).

Hans Haacke

Retrospective

Hans Haacke (b. 1936) is a legendary figure in political conceptual art, and his work remains strikingly relevant in today's world. As a pioneering force in artistic institutional critique, Haacke has redefined the relationship between art and society, profoundly influencing generations of artists. Starting in the 1960s, he explored biological, physical, and ecological systems before shifting his focus to socio-political structures. His work addresses issues of power abuse, exclusion and inequality, and historical-political disruptions, as well as the interplay between public institutions, politics, and economics, while confronting anti-democratic tendencies. This exhibition is presented in collaboration with Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt and is curated by Luisa Ziaja, with assistant curators Katarina Lozo and Theresa Dann-Freyenschlag.

Maria Hahnenkamp

Maria Hahnenkamp (b. 1959, Eisenstadt) has been engaged with the medium of photography and its specific contexts since the late 1980s. Known as an artist’s artist, her work has critically explored media and feminism throughout the decades, making her a significant figure in Austrian contemporary art history. The first major institutional solo exhibition devoted to Maria Hahnenkamp will take place at Belvedere 21 in the spring of 2025. The exhibition will focus on central themes of void, space, craftsmanship, and ornamentation, featuring approximately 100 pieces that include photographs, works on photographic paper, slide projections, video installations, and in-situ wall drillings designed in collaboration with architect Walter Kräutler. A bilingual catalogue (German/English) published by Walther König and designed by Martha Stutteregger will accompany the exhibition with contributions from Clara Bouveresse, Rainer Fuchs, Ruth Horak, Christin Müller, and Stefanie Reisinger.

Gustav Klimt ‒ Pigment & Pixel

Rediscovering Art Through Technology

Recent technical analyses have provided new insights into Gustav Klimt's artistic techniques and methodologies. By examining the layers beneath the paint, we gain an understanding of the creative processes behind his masterpieces. These examinations sometimes reveal surprising inconsistencies between the initial sketches and the completed works. Curated by Franz Smola, the exhibition also investigates Klimt's process for creating his famed gold paintings, showcasing how he applied gold leaf to the canvas. Among the highlights is Klimt's iconic painting Judith, one of his early works to incorporate gold. Additionally, the exhibition features a theoretical reconstruction of the colors used in Klimt's Faculty Paintings, which depicted allegories of Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence. These grand canvases were commissioned for the ceiling of the Great Hall at the University of Vienna but were never publicly displayed as they were lost in a fire during the last days of World War II. Only black-and-white photographs remain to tell their story. In partnership with Google Arts & Culture, the original colors have now been reimagined using artificial intelligence.

CARLONE CONTEMPORARY: Sarah Ortmeyer

DIABOLUS (PROTECTOR)

Sarah Ortmeyer's sculptures titled DIABOLUS (PROTECTOR) occupy the Carlone Hall at the Belvedere, positioned within a collection that spans various epochs. These raw and wild forms, identifiable as devils, transform into unique protectors that evolve into timeless, universal shadows and stand against the essentialist.

The Bride

The Bride

In 1917, the final year of his creative journey, Gustav Klimt began his ambitious painting, The Bride, an allegorical masterpiece. Unfortunately, his untimely death in February 1918 left this artwork unfinished. An iconic photograph taken by Klimt's favorite photographer, Moriz Nähr, captures The Bride alongside Lady with Fan in the painter's studio located in Vienna's Hietzing district. This last studio and the significant encounters that occurred there between Klimt and key figures in his life provide the focus of this exhibition.

Jonathan Monk

Jonathan Monk is a British artist born in 1969 who often revisits, transforms, and questions landmark works of Conceptual and Minimal Art. His artistic approach skillfully navigates between homage and parody. Monk appropriates art history and its myths while examining the rules of the exhibition system and the notion of originality. Through murals, paintings, sculptures, and photographs, he addresses contemporary art's tendency to act purely as a reference system, effectively demystifying the narrative of art as merely the product of exceptional creative talent. The exhibition features a photo wallpaper first showcased in his Vienna gallery in 2022, and an ongoing series that illustrates his previous exhibitions in various institutional contexts, acting both as a visual archive and a display for his latest works.

Radical!

Women Artists and Modernism 1910–1950

The exhibition Radical! fosters a conversation among over sixty female artists from more than twenty countries, providing new insights into the diversity and pioneering aspects of Modernism. These artists, regardless of their backgrounds and styles, were united in their pursuit of innovative visual languages and forms of representation to reflect the modern world. The artworks significantly document their integral roles in shaping a transforming society and their passionate responses to critical issues during a time marked by historical upheavals and technological advancements. They constructed potential identities outside of conventional role models, critically addressed political events, and incorporated the aesthetic ideals of Modernism into everyday life. Rather than relegating these women artists to a simplistic narrative of art styles, the exhibition liberates them from the constraints that contributed to their historical invisibility. Instead, it highlights the uniqueness of their artistic practices, which span from abstract to figurative and from critique to activism. In doing so, the exhibition contests the male-centric art history that has either marginalized or erased women artists from the canon of modern art, while also enriching this historical narrative with a spectrum of fresh perspectives.

Wotruba International

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Fritz Wotruba (1907-1975), Belvedere 21 will host a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to this significant Austrian sculptor. Historically, Wotruba's work has often been viewed either monographically or in terms of his influence on subsequent generations. This presentation will focus on Wotruba’s international exhibition activities and network, as well as the broader reception of his sculptures. Wotruba maintained connections with several artists, including Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti, Germaine Richier, and Marino Marini; he shared the platform with them at thematic or sculpture-focused exhibitions in the 1950s and 1960s. By presenting selected sculptures by Wotruba alongside notable works by his contemporaries such as Louise Nevelson, Kenneth Armitage, and Isamu Noguchi, this exhibition aims to explore fundamental questions related to sculpture after 1945. It thus provides a fresh perspective on Fritz Wotruba, who played a pivotal role in Austrian sculpture after 1945 and was a significant voice in the international discourse on the human image within postwar Modernism.

Ashley Hans Scheirl

The extensive retrospective of Ashley Hans Scheirl at Belvedere 21 covers a broad timeline from the 1970s to the present, showcasing new works created specifically for this exhibition. Since the late 1970s, Ashley Hans Scheirl has cultivated a wonderfully diverse body of work. Their films, predominantly made with the Super8 format, have positioned them as a celebrated pioneer in the realm of queer-feminist and transgender counterculture. Scheirl uses their artistic practice to provide a satirical lens on the increasingly surreal aspects of the neoliberal economic system, employing sharp humor to critique the societal constructs surrounding gender, sexuality, and power dynamics.

Cézanne, Monet, Renoir

French Impressionism from Museum Langmatt

The Belvedere is showcasing selected works from the Villa Langmatt collection, recognized as one of the earliest and most comprehensive private collections of French Impressionism in Switzerland. This Art Nouveau villa was not only the home of Jenny and Sidney Brown but also a space where their passion for art thrived. Starting around 1907, the Browns began to focus on French art, acquiring significant pieces including an oil painting by Paul Gauguin, works by Claude Monet, and several paintings by Paul Cézanne, which led to the aggregation of a larger collection of Cézanne’s works. They held a particular interest in Pierre-Auguste Renoir, gathering an impressive collection of his paintings. The excellence of their collection is further highlighted by several notable works by Camille Corot. Over the years, the Browns assembled a collection of French Impressionism and its precursors, which is not only representative of the broader movements but also reflective of their personal tastes. Their collecting activities illustrate not just a private enthusiasm but also resonate with the changing and modernized self-image of the Swiss industrial bourgeoisie. Curated by Alexander Klee.

Civa – Contemporary Immersive Virtual Art

The media art festival Civa explores the interplay of current technologies, realities, and experiences in digital, physical, and hybrid spaces. In its fifth edition, Civa offers not only an exhibition at Belvedere 21 but also a variety of discursive formats, film screenings, and live performances. Since 2024, the media art festival Civa has been organized and developed jointly by Belvedere 21 and sound:frame.

Civa – Contemporary Immersive Virtual Art

The Civa media art festival showcases the interaction between modern technologies, realities, and experiences across digital, physical, and hybrid environments. Celebrating its fifth year, Civa returns with an exhibition held at Belvedere 21, complemented by various discursive formats, film showings, and live performances. This event is a joint effort by Belvedere 21 and sound:frame, initiated in 2024, and is curated by Eva Fischer along with the Civa Team.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt

More than Character Heads

The central focus of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt's work (1736–1783) is on the enigmatic "Character Heads," which have remained intriguing despite their popularity. Since the 20th century, interpreting Messerschmidt's work through a psychopathological lens has become commonplace, but this viewpoint is limited and overlooks how the sculptor engaged with the significant social and scientific transformations of the 18th century. The Belvedere is hosting an exhibition dedicated to Messerschmidt, presenting him not only as an artist at a critical cultural and political juncture but also as a pioneer of what is referred to as the long 19th century. From around 1769, Messerschmidt's portraits conveyed a new understanding of humanity, influenced by Enlightenment ideals, prioritizing a simplified and accurate portrayal of the subject over ostentation. Additionally, the personalities depicted—such as doctors Gerard van Swieten and Franz Anton Mesmer, along with art theorist Franz von Scheyb—provide insights into the cultural, political, and scientific landscapes of the 18th century. The exhibition aims to contextualize Messerschmidt's "Character Heads," which he began around 1770, within the frameworks of facial expression and physiognomy, interpreting them as phenomena of their era. Comparisons with works by artists like Joseph Ducreux illustrate that the fascination with human faces (and their peculiarities) was prevalent during this period. Curated by Katharina Lovecky, Georg Lechner, and Axel Köhne.