Oberes Belvedere

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The Belvedere's two magnificent palaces, the Upper and Lower Belvedere, were built in the 18th century as the summer residence for the important general Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736). He chose one of the most outstanding Baroque architects Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt (1668-1745). The palaces with their extensive gardens are considered to be one of the world's finest Baroque landmarks. Momentous events have taken place in the Upper Belvedere's Marble Hall and from here there is a spectacular view of Vienna.

The Upper Belvedere houses the impressive collection of Austrian art dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. At the heart of the displays of "art around 1900" is the world's largest Gustav Klimt collection. The glittering highlights are Klimt's golden pictures The Kiss and Judith I, and masterpieces by Schiele and Kokoschka. Prominent works by the French Impressionists and the outstanding collection of Viennese Biedermeier paintings are further attractions at the Upper Belvedere.

Contemporary Collection:

By the mid-1960s, a process of differentiation within art production and its traditional genres was underway. Roland Goeschl and Bruno Gironcoli no longer resorted to bronze and stone as material, but to plastic, and to the designation "object" rather than sculpture.
The picture cast off the frame. Artis ts like Hans Staudacher took a spontaneous and random approach within the art informel painting movement.
In action painting, the body itself became the vehicle and Günter Brus and Rudolf Schwarzkogler projected the wounds of the canvas onto themselves. Their actions were conceived for the instant and archived in documenta ry media. By addressing their own bodies as projection planes, VALIE EXPORT and Mari Lassnig put a social-critical focus on systems manipulated by patriarchal viewpoints and judgements.
While Austrian art in the seventies produced major achievements in media art, the subsequent decade saw a revival of the panel picture. Alois Mosbacher and Hubert Schmalix created rapidly washed, expressive motifs.
The early nineties saw more precise issues being addressed, the discourse revolved in part around institutional prerequisites. For Heimo Zobernig and Marcus Geiger, the framework of the presentation, exhibition properties and inventory, partitions, etc., became the starting point of their artistic explorations. However, Franz West, though similar in the way he handles the material, is more influenced by the non-aesthetics of action painting.
The latest generation is especially well represented in the collection, collecting activities were intensified in the mid-nineties and afterwards, to name just a few, Hans Schabus, Gelatin (gelitin) and Markus Schinwald. 

represented artists

Alexander Archipenko      Joannis Avramidis      Max Beckmann      Herbert Boeckl      Paul Cézanne      Bruno Gironcoli      Rudolf Hradil      Alfred Hrdlicka      Franz Kapfer      Ernst Ludwig Kirchner      Gustav Klimt      Oskar Kokoschka

Anton Kolig      Maria Lassnig      Walter Pichler      Karl Prantl      Egon Schiele      Rudolf Schwarzkogler      Alfred Wickenburg      Fritz Wotruba      Erwin Wurm      Heimo Zobernig