Albertina Modern, this is Vienna's new contemporary art museum

Vienna is celebrating. In the Austrian capital, a new contemporary art museum has opened its doors, housing 60,000 works by 5,000 artists. The Modern AlbertinaWhat is this new space called? was born with the Essl collection and will house works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz or Alex Katz.

This new museum is located in the historic Künstlerhaus building, on the same Karlsplatz square and just ten minutes from the Opera, and has an exhibition space of 2,500 square meters. Built between 1865 and 1868Since then it has served as an exhibition site, It was a gift from Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria to the city's artists. The building, which has already undergone several rehabilitation works and several demolition attempts, suffered a period of degradation from which it recovered in the 1980s and 1990s.

In 2016, Hans Peter Haselsteiner acquired part of the building and undertook to renovate it. Between 2017 and 2020, the Künstlerhaus was restored, recreating the original wall paintings and decorations of the time. In this process, the Künstlerhaus was adapted to meet current public building standards. On the other hand, it was modernized in accordance with the Albertina Museum's museological requirements in terms of security, lighting and air conditioning and expanded the lower and upper levels.

The Modern Albertina opens its doors with The beginning. Art in Austria, 1945-1989an exhibition presenting Austrian art made in the post-war years that shaped the contemporary international scenario. With pieces from creators like Marie Lassnig, Max Weiler, Hermann Nitsch and Friedensreich Hundertwasserthe museum sets the tone for its upcoming exhibitions.

The beginning offers a complete view of one of the most creative periods in the history of Austrian art, bringing together the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, Viennese abstraction, kinetic art and the pop art that was cultivated in the country. The exhibition offers complete rooms for artists such as Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Arnulf Rainer and Maria Lassnig, while also bringing together works by Joannis Avramidis, Rudolf Hoflehner, Wander Bertoni, Roland Goeschl, Curt Stenvert, Bruno Gironcoli and Cornelius Kolig.

In total, around 360 pieces by 100 artists who worked during the three decades covered by the exhibition. Although a large part of the funds belong to the Albertina Museum, a collection that was enriched with the acquisition of the Essl Collection, there are works donated by artists, private collectors and other museums.

This space, like the Albertina Museum, will be led by Klaus Albrecht Schröder: “With the opening of Albertina Modern we can showcase our contemporary art collections better than ever before. This museum also means that Vienna will become home to a new museum of modern art, where masterpieces from the Essl Collection and our latest acquisition, the Jablonka Collection, will be displayed alongside our collections and serve as the basis for major exhibitions . seen before in this city. One of our goals is that post-1945 Austrian art history acquires a new place.”