Open: 10am- 6pm, Wed: 10am- 9pm
Restaurant: 9am- 12pm
Entrance Fee: 11.90 Euro, Seniors: 9.9 Euro, Free for people under 19 years old
Albertinaplatz 1
Tel. 01- 534 830
Subway: Karlsplatz, Stephansplatz
Open: 10am- 6pm daily (to 9pm Wed)
www.albertina.at
Albertina is a magnificent palace in Vienna not far from the Hofbug complex that holds and extensive art museum. Albertina museum complex gets its name after Duke Albert of Sachsen- Teschen, Maria Theresa's son-in-law, who started collection his art work. Over consequent decades and centuries museum grew in size and diversity. Today it holds one of the largest collections of printed paintings. It includes an art work with over 65,000 watercolors and drawings. Additionally Albertina houses a collection of over 70,000 photographs. There are also paintings that date back to late Medieval Age, Renaissance and Modern periods. Albertina houses works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Raphael, Peter Rubens, Albrech Durer, Rembrandt and many other artists.
Albertina is always running multiple exposures. Permanent exhibits include masterpieces by Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon and many other famous artists from all over Europe. Additionally it holds a large library, a reading room, restaurant and a gift shop. Albertina Museum offers audio guides (4 Euros) at the entrance, as well as group tours in several languages.
The museum
The museum is housed in the Archduke
Albrecht Palace, a historic residence of the Habsburgs. The name
Albertina refers to Albert Casimir Duke of Saxony-Teschen,
son-in-law of Empress Maria Theresa, who founded the collection in
Pressburg in 1776, where he resided as the representative of Maria
Theresa for the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1792 he was able to bring a
large part of the collection from the Austrian Netherlands, where he
later served as representative of the Austrian monarch, to Vienna.
The encyclopedic and universalist collection comprises around one
million drawings and prints from the Renaissance to the present.
Since the museum was loaned to the Batliner private collection
in 2007, part of the exhibition space has no longer been used for
the presentation of the graphic collection, but for a permanent
exhibition of classic modernism: “Monet to Picasso. The Batliner
Collection ”. The Albertina's collections are kept in a fully
automated high-bay warehouse.
The collection
The Herzog
Alberts Collection is one of the most important art collections in
the world. For more than 50 years, he used a Europe-wide network of
dealers and auctions of extensive private collections to acquire
14,000 drawings and 200,000 prints. Many of the master drawings -
from Michelangelo's male files to Dürer's "Brown Hare" to Rubens
’portraits of children - are among the most famous works in art
history today.
Duke Albert received the most important
impulses for the creation of the collection from his wife,
Archduchess Maria Christine, who was interested in and interested in
art. Her enormous wealth also gave him financial support. The ducal
collection contains works by artists from the early 15th to the
early 19th centuries. From the beginning, Duke Albert systematically
structured his collection according to art historical criteria,
schools and art landscapes. The Germans and Austrians take first
place, followed by the works of Dutch, Italian and French artists.
In the last two decades of his life, Albert increasingly
acquired works by contemporary artists ("Maîtres Moderne"). They
make up around a third of his drawing collection. All drawings from
Albert's possession are stamped by the duke himself: his monogram
»AS« for Albert of Saxony. In addition to historical and genre
depictions, Duke Albert's fondness was above all landscapes. The
collector preferred carefully drawn works in color or elaborated
with pictures: he was less interested in the drawing as a document
of an artistic process, but rather as a work equivalent to the
painting with its own aesthetic qualities, which are inherent only
in the "light" drawing.
In 1816, Duke Albert designated his
graphic collection as an indivisible and inalienable Fideikommiss,
whereby it initially fell to his universal heir and adoptive son
Archduke Karl in 1822, and was subsequently managed by Archduke
Albrecht (statue in front of the Palais) and Friedrich, both like
Karl generals of the monarchy. As the Habsburg Fideikommiss, the
building and art collection fell under the Habsburg law after the
end of the monarchy and therefore became Austrian state property in
April 1919. The entire collection has been preserved to this day.
The 25,000-volume library and furniture, on the other hand, were
most recently private property of Archduke Friedrich, were removed
by him in 1919 and have since passed to various buyers. In recent
years, however, the Albertina has bought some furnishings that were
essential for the faithful furnishing of the Habsburg representative
rooms in the palace.
History of the palace
Maria Theresa had the
palace built in 1744 for her close friend and advisor Don Emanuel
Teles da Silva Conde Tarouca. The architect was Mauro Ignazio
Valmaggini. In 1792, due to war and revolution, Albert and Marie
Christine had to flee from Laeken Castle in the Austrian
Netherlands, where they served as governors. Back in Vienna, the
couple needed appropriate accommodation, whereupon Emperor Franz II
gave them the palace on the Augustinian Bastion - today's Albertina
- in 1794.
Albert first had the building adapted for his
graphic collection and the library and subsequently expanded with a
representative wing (between 1802 and 1804). The 150-meter-long
facade impressively demonstrated to the emperor residing next door
in the Hofburg the duke's financial potency and self-esteem. The
items of equipment taken from Laeken Castle, such as furniture,
shutters and wall paneling, were integrated into the new state
rooms. Silk coverings from Lyon, artistic inlaid floors and gilded
crystal chandeliers complemented the magnificent appearance.
History of the collection
Vienna and the imperial court around
1780
The imperial court in Vienna presented itself during the
reign of Maria Theresa in courtly splendor and late baroque
splendor. She ruled the countries of the Habsburg monarchy and her
husband Franz Stephan von Lorraine ruled as emperor in the Holy
Roman Empire of the German Nation since 1745. The country mother
ensured the survival of the dynasty with 16 children, and Franz I.
Stephan, as a business magnate, generated a gigantic fortune that
would finance his descendants as a family fund. The everyday life of
the imperial family was strictly regulated, which is why child
rearing was also subject to strict guidelines. Languages, history,
religion, music and dance were taught from the age of four;
Scientific and artistic interests were promoted early on.
Archduchess Marie Christine was a talented draftswoman who copied
throughout her life based on templates by Dutch and French masters.
It matured into a proud, self-confident and cultivated "Grande Dame"
by 1765, which, thanks to its education and representation, could
meet the dynastic demands of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Albert and Marie Christine
Maria Theresa saw her children as
dynastic capital and did not choose the spouses of her children
without political calculation. Prince Albert met 17-year-old Marie
Christine in 1760 when he visited his aunt Maria Theresia in Vienna.
It was only in the spring of 1764 that she returned his passionate
feelings and the monarch granted her preferred daughter a love
marriage to the jaunty Saxon. The wedding ceremony took place during
the mourning period for the late Emperor Franz I. Stephan on April
2, 1766 in the Vienna Hofburg. The signing of the marriage contract
on April 5, 1766, gave Prince Albert a woman with a fortune of 4
million guilders (about 63 million euros). While Marie Christine was
allowed to maintain the title of archduchess for the rest of her
life, her lower-ranking groom was awarded the coat of arms and title
of the Duchy of Teschen and henceforth called herself Duke Albert of
Saxony-Teschen. The wedding was celebrated on April 6, 1766 in a
small, family setting and "incognito" in Hof Palace. The love
marriage was followed by a happy marriage. »Mimi« and »Berti«, so
the intimate nicknames, have always shared an intimate and
passionate love. Maria Theresa made her son-in-law
Reichsfeldmarschall and Locumtenens (governor) of Hungary; from
April 1766 the couple resided in the royal castle of Bratislava.
Duke Albert of Saxony-Teschen and Archduchess
Marie Christine were not ruling monarchs, but due to their high
birth they belonged to the European elite. Offices and dignities of
the couple - she represented the dynasty in Hungary and the Austrian
Netherlands (where she was co-regent of her husband), he took over
as Reich (general) field marshal, Locumtenens, Knights of the Order
of the Golden Fleece and the Austrian-Imperial Leopold Order, in the
Netherlands especially as Governor General, high military, political
and social positions - were expressed in an elaborate lifestyle.
Their feudal need for representation was reflected in an extensive
court, illustrious festivals and exquisite hunting parties. The
royal palaces in Bratislava and Brussels as well as the Vienna
Palais housed unique furnishings; magnificent tapestries from the
royal French court manufacturers, the most precious silverware,
exquisite furniture and noble busts by Josiah Wedgwood. The
25,000-volume library, which was one of the most important on the
continent, was particularly important. High education, excellent art
understanding and exquisite taste identified Albert and Marie
Christine as "Grand Homme" and "Grande Dame".
journey to
Italy
The couple went on an educational trip to Italy from
January to July 1776. The route included visits to the farms of
Marie Christine's siblings in Parma, Florence, Naples and Modena, as
well as a stay in Rome. In addition to ancient monuments and baroque
religious buildings, they also visited the Vatican Museums with the
Pio Clementino and the palaces of the Nobilità with their important
private collections. Pope Pius VI granted the high couple an
audience several times and presented him with valuable gifts. In
Naples, Duke Albert became interested in natural phenomena and
climbed Vesuvius with the British ambassador Sir William Hamilton.
Marie Christine spent a lot of time with the court company and her
favorite sister Queen Marie Caroline, who gave her several paintings
by Jakob Philipp Hackert when she left. The couple stayed the
longest at the Florentine court of Grand Duke Leopolds. The
relationship with the brother was warm and the cultural and social
life offered a lot of variety. Albert visited the magnificent
collections in the Uffizi Gallery three times.
The foundation
stone of the collection was laid in 1776
At the end of the Grand
Tour, Albert and Marie Christine visited the Republic of Venice. On
July 4, 1776, the Austrian ambassador Giacomo Conte Durazzo handed
them over a thousand engravings in accordance with an order from
1774 to build up a graphic collection. The former director of the
Vienna Court Theater was a close friend of the couple and also wrote
the Discorso Preliminare for Duke Albert, the founding document of
the Albertina, in which he laid down the principles and systematics
of the collection. In line with D´Alembert's Discours préliminaire
on the Encyclopédie published with Denis Diderot, the collection was
not only intended to serve as a princely representation, but to
contribute to the upbringing and well-being of mankind. On the same
day, the founding fathers of the United States signed the
Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was the first
constitution to be based on the principles of the Enlightenment. In
the same year Maria Theresia abolished the "embarrassing
questioning", Adam Weishaupt founded the Illuminati order in
Ingolstadt, Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations and James
Cook set off on his third and last circumnavigation.
The
legacy
Archduchess Marie Christine died in Vienna in 1798. Albert
commissioned Antonio Canova, the most famous sculptor of his time,
to design an imposing grave monument. Canova designed a
pyramid-shaped cenotaph, which was placed next to the Duke's Palace
in the Augustinian Church - the first public grave monument for a
woman in Vienna.
Duke Albert spent the last decades of his
life, largely withdrawn from the public, in his palace and devoted
himself primarily to expanding his collection. In 1816, Duke Albert
designated the collection as an indivisible and inalienable
Fideikommiss in his will. After Albert's death in 1822, the
collection, like the palace, was taken over by his heir, Archduke
Karl, and subsequently by Archduke Albrecht and finally Friedrich.
During this time, the graphic collection was further expanded. At
that time, like the palace, it was no longer privately owned by an
archduke, but was part of the Habsburg family funds, which the
Habsburg Act 1919 took over into the possession of the Republic of
Austria without compensation.
The Albertina in the 1st Republic
With the end
of the monarchy in 1918, the period of decline began for the
representative building of the Albertina. Nothing should remind of
the Habsburg roots of the collection. From now on, the history of
the palace was systematically suppressed, the memory of its
inhabitants and the splendid classical furnishings of the splendid
rooms. In April 1919, the building and collection became the
property of the Republic. In 1920 the collection was merged with the
prints of the former imperial court library. In the same year, all
state rooms were closed to the public and used as offices, a library
or for storing the collection. The precious decorations were not
handled with care, which gradually devastated the glamorous cultural
heritage. An actual will to destroy can only be spoken after the
Second World War. The building and collection have been officially
named Albertina since 1921. As much as the building suffered, Duke
Albert's continued expansion of the collection was continued from
1923 to 1934 by the then director of the Albertina, Alfred Stix. He
managed to complete the holdings by acquiring French and German
drawings from the 19th century, which had hardly been represented
until now.
The Albertina in World War II and after
From
1934 until the end of the Second World War, Alfred Stix continued to
focus on the expansion of Austrian and German graphics from the 19th
and 20th centuries. On March 12, 1945, the Albertina was badly
damaged in an American bombing raid. Instead of rebuilding the
palace afterwards, the historical style started in 1919 was
continued. The former Habsburg palace was in 1952 - when the
"Albertina Graphic Arts Collection" reopened - an unadorned,
architecturally uninteresting building and stripped of its
historical identity. For decades, the Albertina was only open to the
public a few hours a day (around 1936: 27 hours per week, 1959: 35
hours per week) and the number of visitors was low. The scientific
directors placed much more value on their study character than on
the impact of the collection on the general public. The fact that
many graphics were rarely allowed to be exposed to light for
conservation reasons contributed significantly to this attitude.
From 1962 to 1986, Walter Koschatzky acted as director. He
organized over 200 exhibitions and published numerous art historical
works on the graphic arts. In its era, the Albertina was again
perceived more publicly.
Present day
The Albertina was
opened to the public again in 2003 after more than a decade of
closure, extensive expansion, modernization and careful restoration.
The Albertina was scheduled to reopen in 2002 after the renovation
work started in the early 1990s. The discovery of a Roman burial
ground with over 130 graves delayed the conversion. In the course of
the restoration, missing parts of the facades cut off in the 1950s
were reconstructed and the Habsburg state rooms were restored. For
the first time in 80 years, the classicist state rooms were
renovated and large parts of the original furniture, which had been
scattered all over the world after the First World War, were bought
back by Duke Albert from 1780 to 1805 and Archduke Karl in 1822 from
Josef Danhauser. After the state rooms had been used as offices and
depots for 80 years, they were opened to the public for the first
time in the history of the palace. The museum entrance was restored
to the historically original level of the bastion. In order to make
the comprehensive presentation of the collections possible, four
exhibition halls were set up and the exhibition area was expanded
from just 150 m² to 5,000 m². At the same time, an underground
storage facility with 5,000 cubic meters was built.
Hans Hollein was commissioned to redesign the
entree. Especially the so-called "Soravia Wing", a striking flying
roof, was the focus of controversial and mostly critical media
attention. The wing was intended to symbolically make the
modernization of the museum's infrastructure clear to the outside
world, which is why a projecting roof wing was chosen. The wing,
over 60 meters long, the escalator penetrating the bastion at an
angle and the panorama lift were intended to shorten the distance
between the street level and the entrance to the bastion visually
and technically.
Since his appointment as director of the
Albertina in 1999, Klaus Albrecht Schröder has overseen the
renovation and repositioning of the house, which has been defined as
a scientific institution under public law since January 1, 2000. At
the same time, the name of the museum was changed to "Albertina" in
order to express the originally intended unity of the founder of the
collection, palace and museum. In addition, the fact that the
"Graphic Collection" in the museum's name ceased to exist took
account of the fact that the Albertina now houses three large
collections: in addition to the Graphic Collection, the architecture
collection and the one in 2000 by merging the significant historical
holdings of the Federal Graphic Teaching and Research Institute
Photo collection founded by the Langewieschen Verlag photo archive
(Blue Books). In the following years, Schröder increasingly did not
content himself with presenting his own collections, but instead
entered into cooperations with private partners and long-term
lenders.
According to the number of visitors, the move away
from the sole exhibition of the graphic collection proves to be a
success: These increased enormously. The museum is now one of the
most visited sights in Vienna and recorded over a million visits in
2018.
Klaus Albrecht Schröder introduced a new presentation
doctrine at the Albertina, underlining the indivisibility of the
artistic. The expansion of the Albertina into an art museum with the
four different collections (graphic collection, photo collection,
painting collection, architecture collection) as well as the
historical place of remembrance of the state rooms is also reflected
in the number of employees at the Albertina: after 60 employees in
1999, the Albertina now counts the 300 employees.
A new study
hall was opened in 2008. As part of the underground, four-story
research center, where u. a. The library, the restoration and the
workshops of the Albertina are housed in the approximately 300 m²
large hall, which is now accessible to the collection, which has
over a million works.
During heavy rains in June 2009, water
entered the underground storage system. The detectors had recognized
the water ingress, but this robbed the robots. To avoid major
damage, 950,000 collectibles had to be relocated.