Opened in 2001, the MuseumsQuartier Wien is one of the world's largest complexes for modern art and culture. It offers a wide variety of programs and events, from performing arts, architecture, music, fashion, theater, dance, literature, and children's culture to digital culture. Located in the middle of Vienna, the MuseumsQuartier is an art space with a total of nine permanent museums and exhibition and event halls. Historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries are joined with contemporary museum architecture to create a one-of-a-kind architectural setting that attracts about 3.8 million people a year.
The Museumsquartier contains Baroque buildings as well as Modern architecture by the architects Laurids and Manfred Ortner (Ortner & Ortner Baukunst). The renovation of the former court stables began in April 1998. Three years later, the Museumsquartier opened in two stages (June and September 2001). It consists of several institutions such as Leopold Museum, MUMOK, Kunsthalle Wien, ZOOM Kindermuseum, Tanzquartier, Architekturzentrum Wien and quartier21.
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
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| Photo by Amin.Mana |
The collection of the Leopold Museum is home to one of the largest collections of modern Austrian art, alongside highlights of Art Nouveau and Classical Modernism, featuring artists such as Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka and Richard Gerstl. It encompasses more than 5,000 objects, collected by Elisabeth and Rudolf Leopold over five decades, which were consolidated in 1994 into the private foundation valued at 575 million Euros. With 41 paintings and 188 works on paper the Leopold Museum is the largest and most prominent collection with works of Egon Schiele worldwide.
The museum moderner kunst stiftung ludwig wien (mumok) is the largest museum in Central Europe for art since modernism. The striking dark grey cuboid structure clad in basalt stone in the middle of the MuseumsQuartiers Wien houses an unusual collection featuring important works from Classic Modernism, Pop Art, Fluxus, and Viennese Actionism to present-day film and media art. From Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol and Franz West, the collection and special exhibitions represent a blend of tradition and experiment, past and present.
The Kunsthalle Wien is a non-collecting art center which organizes and hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. It focuses on photography, video, film, installation, and new media, and presents large-scale exhibitions featuring selected themes from classical modernism to present-day art.
quartier21 is a collective name for about 50 the small and medium-sized cultural initiatives autonomous cultural initiatives within the MQ Wien. It is an integral part of the overall concept of the MuseumsQuartier dedicated to art and culture of the 21st century and covering a total area of about 7,000 square meters.
Other institutions include the Tanzquartier Wien, Austria’s first center for contemporary dance and performance, and the Architekturzentrum Wien, which each year features a number of changing exhibitions demonstrating the diversity of contemporary architecture. Art and cultural facilities specially designed for children, like the ZOOM Kindermuseum, DSCHUNGEL WIEN – Theater for Young Audiences, and wienXtra-kinderinfo, complete the extensive range of offerings. In addition to its use as an art and creativity space, the MuseumsQuartier represents a living space for a variety of different purposes. Alongside terrace cafés, bars, shops, and relaxation zones, the MQ courtyard furniture creates a comfortable environment for spending free time or meeting with friends.
