CULTURE

Artful Vienna

By Catalina Margulis

From art museums to gallery-inspired cafés – not to mention an art supermarket – Vienna is a paradise for art lovers.

Gustav Klimt, The Kiss

With such a rich cultural history, it’s little wonder that the city of Mozart is steeped in impressive collections. Landmarks like the Belvedere and Albertina serve up exhibitions that include works by such masters as Michelangelo, Rubens and Durer, as well as national notables Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka. You’ll even encounter the odd French Impressionist. But once you’ve gotten up close with The Kiss and Judith or Schiele’s striking self-portraits, it’s time to explore the new Vienna art scene, which is fresh, vibrant and innovative.

Kick things off by checking in at the sexy, modern Altstadt, a gallery-hotel hybrid. This former royal palace’s 42 stylish rooms and suites serve a dual function as both elegant accommodations and exhibition spaces for a spectacular collection. A Warhol and a Lichtenstein are among the many noteworthy canvasses.

The hotel is conveniently located near the cultural phenomenon that is the MuseumsQuartier, housed in the former imperial stables. Launched in 2001, this 60,000-square-metre complex dedicated to modern and contemporary art features restaurants, cafés, shops and, of course, renowned museums and exhibition halls. Next door to the famed Leopold Museum, the MUMOK houses a masterfully curated collection of modern and contemporary pieces, with special exhibitions on themes such as Pop Art, Fluxus, Nouveau Réalisme and Viennese Actionism. For a less challenging cultural experience, the Lomography Shop sells a fun range of Soviet-era cameras with fish-eye lenses and coloured flashes known as Lomos, a Viennese obsession that has gone global.

Also in the neighbourhood, Mars Art Supermarket puts a consumer-friendly spin on the gallery business with hopes of making art less intimidating to the masses. Signage and flyers loudly exclaim prices (ranging from €9 to €999) and provide bios of each artist represented. Curators – like Peter Noever, artistic director of the Museum for Applied Arts/Contemporary Art – evaluate applications based on the art, not the name. The result: Young, undiscovered artists are displayed, and Supermarket shoppers can have a shot at finding the next Jasper Johns.

After you’ve experienced a gallery-hotel and a gallery-supermarket, try gallery dining. The Kunsthistorisches Museum’s Gerstner Art Brunch serves a Sunday buffet followed by a guided tour of the exhibitions. The food is standard Viennese fare (as in delectable); the real indulgence, though, is experiencing one of the world’s 10 great collections, with works by Durer, Rubens, Titian, Velazquez and Bruegel.

If all this gallery- and museum-hopping has whetted your appetite for purchasing a masterpiece or two, the Palais Dorotheum offers the chance to bid on everything from a Manet watercolour to a Banksy serigraph. Auctions take place almost daily, but time-tight jet-setters will appreciate the opportunity to bid online from home.

For more on the artful city, visit vienna.info.

(Catalina Margulis is the Toronto-based globe-trotting deputy editor of 2: The Magazine for Couples.)

TOP PHOTO: GUSTAV KLIMT, DER KUSS, 1907-08, ÖL AUF LEINWAND © BELVEDERE, WIEN
ALBERTINA: © ALBERTINA (ALEXANDER CH. WULZ)
ALTSTADT: ALTSTADT, VIENNA
KUNSTHISTORISCHES: DAVID BAILEY / DREAMSTIME.COM