Name: Albertina
Address: Albertinapl. 1, 1010 Wien, Austria
Telephone: 01 534830
Rating: 4.7

19th-century Habsburg palace with staterooms & collections of old master prints & 20th-century art.

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Schönbrunn Palace Park

The Albertina boasts a collection of over 65,000 drawings, making it one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world.

Drawings Collection

The museum houses approximately 1 million old master prints, showcasing a vast range of artistic styles and techniques.

Old Master Prints

The Albertina is located within the largest Habsburg residential palace, dominating the southern tip of the Imperial Palace on one of Vienna's remaining fortress walls.

Imperial Palace

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Albertina still attracted over 360,000 visitors in 2020, ranking 55th on the list of most-visited art museums globally.

Visitor Count (2020)

Since 2020, the Albertina has expanded with the Albertina Modern, a new location dedicated to Austrian art from 1945 onwards, showcasing works by renowned artists like Arnulf Rainer and Andy Warhol.

Albertina Modern

Albertina

The Albertina in Vienna distinguishes itself not merely through its impressive collection of graphic art, but specifically through its holdings of Dürer's "Young Hare" and "Praying Hands," iconic works that have become synonymous with the museum itself. Beyond these masterpieces, the Albertina's Batliner Collection showcases a remarkable survey of modern art, emphasizing Austrian Expressionism and movements like Russian Avant-Garde, often overlooked in broader surveys of the period. The museum's architectural history is equally compelling, originally constructed as a Habsburg residential palace, later becoming the residence of Archduke Albert, whose passion for art formed the basis of the collection. A little-known fact is that the Albertina's restoration after World War II involved painstakingly reconstructing damaged stuccowork and parquet floors, preserving the palace's original grandeur. The museum also boasts a significant collection of architectural drawings, providing invaluable insights into the design and construction of historical buildings, a resource often utilized by scholars and architects alike.

Introduction

The Albertina Museum, nestled within the Hofburg Palace, stands as a testament to the Habsburg dynasty's enduring influence on Vienna. Since 1805, it has been interwoven with the history and culture of imperial Vienna, residing in the largest Habsburg residential palace. Originally established by Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen in 1776, the son-in-law of Empress Maria Theresa, the palace now showcases a wealth of art, including graphic art, photography, and impressionism.

Within the Albertina, the Habsburg Staterooms offer a glimpse into imperial life. These 20 staterooms, spread across two floors, are decorated in the Empire style, reflecting the luxury and opulence of the era. The Hall of Muses, adorned with marble panels and life-sized sculptures of Apollo and the nine muses, serves as a centerpiece. Visitors can explore the Rococo Room, the Spanish Apartments once belonging to Spanish royalty, and the Wedgwood Cabinet, whose wooden walls depict scenes of classic elements.

Following the fall of the Habsburg Monarchy in 1919, Archduke Friedrich, the last Habsburg resident, departed, leading to the palace's transformation into exhibition halls and a library. Although he took his furnishings, the museum later recovered over 70 pieces of the staterooms' original furniture. Despite facing bombing during World War II, the Albertina underwent reconstruction, with the staterooms restored to their former glory by 2003, allowing visitors to experience the Habsburg legacy.

Habsburg Residence

The Albertina Museum houses one of the largest and most important graphical collections in the world, featuring approximately 65,000 drawings and around 1 million prints. The collection's foundation lies in the holdings of Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, who began amassing the collection in 1776 with nearly 1,000 art pieces presented to him and his wife Maria Christina. Duke Albert deliberately conceived the collection on an encyclopedic scale, aligning with the enlightened precepts of his era. By 1822, the collection included some 14,000 drawings and around 200,000 sheets of graphic art prints, covering significant art movements from the late Middle Ages to the first quarter of the 19th century.

This core collection, intended as an instructive overview of art's development, continues to form the basic foundation of the Albertina Museum. The holdings have been continuously expanded, primarily with works from contemporary art movements. Significant additions were made between 1923 and 1934, particularly enriching the museum's holdings of French and German drawings from the 19th century. From 1934 to 1945, the collection focused on Austrian and German graphic art of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The graphic art collection now features 50,000 drawings and watercolors, encompassing works from the Late Gothic era to contemporary times. It includes masterpieces by artists such as Michelangelo, Dürer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Klimt, Schiele, Picasso, Richter, and Lassnig.

Graphical Collection

The Albertina Museum's collection provides a unique survey of 130 years of art history, spanning from French Impressionism to the present day, offering insights into the evolution and relationships between various artistic movements. The museum's focus extends to Austrian art after 1945, presented alongside international artistic trends in its exhibitions at ALBERTINA MODERN. This juxtaposition allows for a deeper understanding of the historical backdrop and development of art within different movements.

The Albertina's dedication to showcasing art after 1945, including contemporary film and photographic material, highlights its commitment to representing modern artistic movements. Directors of the Albertina Museum prioritized expanding the collection of Austrian art, acquiring works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Alfred Kubin, solidifying the museum's representation of Austrian Expressionism and Secession. Later directors ensured the museum represented the multifarious tendencies of art after 1945, increasing purchases of international works. The addition of the Batliner Collection significantly increased the museum's holdings of international Classical Modernism and contemporary art. The museum's exhibition program centers on major artistic movements, complementing retrospective presentations with themed exhibitions.

Artistic Movements

Originally the Hofbauamt, the Albertina underwent a significant transformation in 1744 when Emanuel Teles Count Silva-Tarouca refurbished it into Palais Taroucca. Later, Louis Montoyer extended the building for Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen, establishing its adjacency to the Hofburg. In the 1820s, Archduke Charles commissioned Joseph Kornhäusel to modify the interior.

Heavily damaged by USAAF bomb attacks in March 1945, the Albertina was rebuilt and completely refurbished between 1998 and 2003. A distinctive roof designed by Hans Hollein marked the modifications to the exterior entrance sequence, completed in 2008.

The Künstlerhaus, now Albertina Modern, was constructed between 1865 and 1868, near Vienna’s Ringstraße. It faced multiple remodeling projects and near demolition, before undergoing renovation, expansion, and modernization from 2017 to 2020 under the Albertina Museum’s Architecture Collection, in consultation with Austria’s Federal Monuments Office. The restoration recreated original wall paintings, decorations, and terrazzo flooring, while modernizing the building with barrier-free accessibility, new fire escape stairwells, security, lighting, and climate control. The upper level continues to house the “Künstlerhaus, Gesellschaft bildender Künstlerinnen und Künstler Österreichs,” with a new space called the “Factory” designed as a gallery and venue for performances and multimedia productions.

Albertina

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Drawings Collection

Old Master Prints

Imperial Palace

Visitor Count (2020)

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