What does the name Albertina mean and what can you see there? Why is the Albertina higher than the rest of the street level? What sights can you see from above?
The Albertina is one of Vienna’s top museums. It has one of the largest collections of graphic art in the world, including the famous “Field Hare” by Albrecht Dürer. You can also see the permanent collection “Monet to Picasso” and temporary exhibitions.
The Albertina was the Habsburgs’ largest residential palace. Marie Christine, Maria Theresa’s favorite daughter, lived here with her husband Albert of Saxe-Teschen . It was a love match and the two were the founders of the art collection. The name
Highlight: the graphic collections
The highlight of the museum are the graphic collections , which cannot always be shown in their original form due to conservation reasons. This goes back to a private collection of Duke Albert. He had his agents purchase graphic collections for over 50 years. In addition to the “Field Hare”, Albrecht Dürer ‘s “Hands Folded in Prayer” are well-known to everyone and are among the great works of art in history.
The graphic collections are subdivided as follows:
- Albrecht Dürer and his time
- The Italian masters of the Renaissance
- Dutch art of the 16th and 17th centuries
- Italian Baroque and Late Baroque
- French drawings of the 18th century
- Austrian watercolor painting of the century
- Vienna around 1900
- Classical modernism and contemporary art
The permanent display collection – Batliner Collection (from the collector couple Batliner) shows the art styles of the last 130 years. French Impressionism meets German Expressionism and Russian avant-garde. Famous paintings by Renoir, Monet, Degas, Malevich, Chagall, Warhol and Katz can be admired here.
Elevated location offers beautiful views
The Albertina is enthroned somewhat higher than the surrounding buildings. This is because it was built on one of the former bastions of the city wall (Augustinerbastei) . Take the escalator to the top and enjoy the view of the State Opera, Hotel Sacher and Albertinaplatz. You are guaranteed to take great photos from here and get the best impressions!
New: Since May 2020, the Albertina modern, a new location in the newly renovated Künstlerhaus on Karlsplatz , has been dedicated to Austrian art since 1945 . Modern, contemporary art is shown here on approx. 2000m² in the
Time Travel Tip: The café-restaurant Do & Co in the Albertina invites you to take a break, especially in summer, when you can dine on the terrace or simply enjoy a Viennese Melange (the Viennese’s favorite coffee) . Recently, the Albertina has also started offering yoga in the Musensaal . That would be a different kind of yoga class in a beautiful historical setting. The Albertina also offers exciting guided tours and painting workshops for children. This makes a visit to the museum fun!
Another tip: the sausage stand below the Albertina is very popular and highly recommended! As it is located opposite the State Opera, it is also popular after an opera performance or in the early hours of the morning after the legendary Opera Ball.
More info. Monet to Picasso. The Batliner Collection ” Albertina Museum Vienna
Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wien_-_Albertina_(b).JPG
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