Schönbrunn Palace Gardens Photo: WienTourismus / Peter Rigaud
CITY OF MUSEUMS
The Kiss is but one of thousands of art treasures in the museums of Vienna. In fact, more than 100 cover almost every subject under the sun, from the great canvases and statues of the masters of all eras to quirky niches like schnapps, chocolate, and snow globes. To appreciate them all, you’ d have to make your visit permanent, but in the meantime, start with these favorites.
Albertina In the same year America was declaring its independence, Duke Albert of Saxony- Teschen, a son-in-law of Empress Maria Theresia, established a collection of graphical works, which has grown over the centuries to include priceless works by Dürer, Rubens, Schiele, Cézanne, Klimt, Picasso and Rauschenberg, to name but a few. The illustriousness of the names is equaled by the setting inside the largest Hapsburg residential palace. Yellow, green and turquoise staterooms shine with elaborate gilding; parquet floors inlaid with rose and ebony, crystal chandeliers, and porcelain reliefs. www. albertina. at / en
Leopold At the end of the 19th century, a revolution known as the Vienna Session rocked the art world, delivering new styles like Art Nouveau and Expressionism. The most renowned of its artists get tribute at this bright, imposing, white cube in the Museums Quartier. In addition to having the largest collection of Egon Schiele on Earth, the museum also prides itself on works by Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka and Richard Gerstl. Another focus examines art of the Austrian interwar period. www. leopoldmuseum. org / en
Mumok The largest museum in Central Europe for art since modernism boasts more than
9,000 words of art covering 20th century movements like Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, Pop Art, Fluxus, Nouveau Réalisme and more. Hanging from the walls inside the gray, boxy, basalt stone buildings are works by the likes of Kandinsky, Klee, Picasso, Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. www. mumok. at / en
Third Man Museum The masterpiece of film noir, set in the ashes of post-war Vienna, the Third Man inspired one local Viennese fan to begin collecting artifacts from the production and put them on display, including a 1936 Ernemann 7b projector, a section of a Viennese sewer grate, photographs and film posters signed by the stars, even the piece de resistance, the zither that sang the film’ s haunting melody. www. 3mpc. net / englsamml. htm
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