Fine Art Museum Vienna,
It is what it is
Amazing
‘Stairway to Klimt’ February – 2nd September 2018, and ‘The Shape of Time’ 6th March – 8th July 2018.
The two exhibitions we saw at the Fine Art Museum in Vienna.
The most wonderful part for me was that I was going to see the Durers and the Bruegels. As well as Vermeer.
So when I saw that these other exhibitions were on I thought that I might miss out. Galleries often put works away when there are specials on but no!
As we walked in Sam said they must be doing some renovations here but it wasn’t renovations it was scaffolding to assist us in walking up to get close to the Klimt that are ‘staircase’ to the museum. He was 27 years old when he was commissioned.
These paintings were completed oil on canvas and then stuck to the wall.
What a great opportunity to be able to climb those stairs to view the works up close. You would need binoculars otherwise.
There was another Kilmt in the Greek and Roman section of the gallery and it was a treat to see as well.
The words on the top are Friedrich Schillers
‘If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, Please a few. To please many is bad’
Klimt certainly challenged his contemporaries with his work and it was interesting to read the information about him.
The text on the painting “Nuda Veritas” (1899) is a poem by Fredrich Schiller and it reads
“If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art,
Please a few. To please many is bad”
The second ‘Highlight’ was ‘The Shape of Time’ http://theshapeoftime.khm.at/en/
Here was an exhibition that slipped into the whole of the first floor of the gallery.
Pope Paul 111 1546
La Celestine 1904 (end of blue period).
The power and the powerless.
It shows 16 paired artworks of modern and the old masters.
Tintoretta – “Susanna and the Elders”
Kerry James Marshall “Untitled”
suggesting the outside viewer
The particular chosen pieces, placed side by side yet ‘scattered’ throughout the floor. A great information panel was placed there for us to read after making our own decision about why these art works are paired.
If you are interested you can go into the link that I put there which talks about them.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres “Untitled (Perfect Lovers)
‘Both Artist meditation is on the nature of love and death”
Felix Gonzalez-Torres has put batteries into these clocks at the same time and set them going. One will run out first! Interesting
I was excited to see some Australian involvement with some of the modern pieces.
Fiona Tan, Nursra Lati Qureshi, (her work was from the piece in the Venice Biennially) and Ron Mueck.
Family portraits
The other truly special part about today was that we wandered along being able to really take our time to study the works . There weren’t any tours going through, there weren’t any school groups and there weren’t the masses all trying to get to see a famous work.
We were just there savour
ring every moment of the quietness and the time to enjoy.
The Bruegels were magnificent.
Feel privileged to have wandered in this gallery with you!
I really enjoyed the Shape of time link and then your selections! Thankyou xx
Another lovely day travelling with you both, thanks for the photos & wonderful description!