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Vienna's Museum Quartier impresses Posted
July 24, 2004
By ROBERT SCHWARTZ VIENNA— It is only when I realize that these large, ugly, pink blocks of cement scattered around the entire courtyard are actually benches that I am fully aware of the breadth of the cultural monument that I am surrounded by. When I first saw them (about 10 feet long, five feet wide and three feet from the ground, with upward-sloping sides coming out of the center like an upside-down A, and painted bright pink), I simply thought they were bad sculptures; but figured I was on the right track, considering I was looking for a museum.
I followed these eerie structures to a large park, strewn with tall stands featuring 5-foot by 5-foot photographs of different parts of the world, taken from a helicopter. Literally almost 100 of these fascinating, enlarged snapshots lead me to believe that I was getting closer. The pink, cement obelisks still scattered everywhere, still empty. Passing the photography exhibit park, the huge facade of a spectacular Baroque mansion came into view. This should be the art museum that I am looking for. I was told, minutes earlier (in broken English by an Austrian waiter at a coffee house), that the museum was in this direction. I spotted more weird pink blocks leading through an archway in this beautiful building. They had not failed me so far, despite their peculiarity, so I decided to follow them. Under the archway now, I pass posters of classical and contemporary artists, stands of flyers for art exhibits, and, finally, a museum shop. “This must be it,” I thought, “I've reached the museum.” But I had no idea what I was in for. The sunlight blinded me for a brief moment as I made it through the end of the archway. I rubbed my eyes and when my sight returned I was taken aback. Almost overwhelmed, my field of vision struggled to absorb the visual feast that was the courtyard I now looked upon. The large, pink blocks were no longer ugly, badly made sculptures, but clever, artistic benches filled with people relaxing, basking in the sun, contemplating life and art, and playing with their children. Directly across the courtyard from me was a large, outdoor cafe, with round metal tables and beige plastic chairs fit in the spaces not occupied by pink benches, and I was surrounded by museums on all four sides. People bustling all around me, I found myself in the center of a huge complex of art, culture, life and beauty—the Museum Quartier of Vienna. After I have calmed down, I face a new conundrum: where to begin?
As I am in Vienna, and my original search was for Austrian art, the Leopold Museum quickly became my center of focus. This large, white-stone building is to my left as I face the back of the courtyard. It is home to more than 5,000 works of art, displayed over five floors. The impressive collection of Austrian art was collected over the span of five decades by the museum's namesake, Rudolf Leopold, highlighted by the world's largest collection of work by Egon Schiele, one of Austria's most important artists. Other notable works that call Leopold home include paintings by Albin Egger-Lienz, Gustav Klimt, Richard Gerstl and Oskar Kokoschka. But as I wander towards this edifice of intimidating size, wondering if I will be able to get it all in during one day, I realize that I was going to get more than I bargained for. A huge poster at the museum's entrance informed me that I happened to be wandering through the cultural center of Vienna in the midst of a four-month exhibition of work by none other than Francisco de Goya (June 4 to Sept. 20, 2004). Legendary even to me, an art lover none too expert, Goya is regarded as the most important Spanish artist working at the turn of the 19th Century, and was artist to the King of Spain. The Leopold Museum was currently displaying four completely preserved series of his graphics, along with some of his earlier etchings based on pictures by Velásquez. The series' include: Los Caprichos , Los Desastres de La Guerra , La Tauromaquia , Los Proverbios , and the Velásquez etchings. Goya's work was compelling, to say the very least. Comprised of etchings dealing with horrors of war, the absurd, the surreal and the fantastic, his work disturbed me, amazed me, mesmerized me, and, even once or twice, made me laugh. The most compelling series, and therefore that with which I concerned most of my short time, was Los Desastres de La Guerra (The Disasters of War), a series that he worked on between 1810 and 1811. These etchings depicted horrible scenes of war, illustrating amongst other things the disturbing treatment of Spanish captives during their war with France. Goya accompanied these scenes with effectively terse titles. One in particular, depicting a man being stabbed in the back, was simply titled Este es malo (This is bad). As Goya and the rest of the impressive Leopold collection took up most of my one day in beautiful Vienna, I did not get the chance to explore the other wonders that Museum Quartier has to offer. Sights that I missed include the Architekturzentrum Wein, a wonderful institution that links modern architecture with architectural history, housing one permanent exhibition of 20th Century architecture and displaying four to six temporary exhibitions a year. Directly across the courtyard from Leopold, you'll find the Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna (MUMOK), home of one of the largest European collections of modern and contemporary art, ranging from American Pop Art to Viennese Actionism. Nestled in the back corner of the incredible Baroque mansion that comprises most of Museum Quartier (formerly the Viennese Royal Stables), the Tranzquartier Wien is dedicated to contemporary dance and many other types of performance. There are facilities for training dancers and choreographers, and the institution holds performances to the public in Halls G and E, large performance halls located in the back of Museum Quartier. ZOOM Kindermuseum is a fun and lively center for children up to age 12. It's intent is to educate children about art and museums and encourage them to learn through play and exploration. The ZOOM Lab caters to the imaginations of older children while the ZOOM Ocean is fun to play in for babies and their parents. For the avante garde, international experience, or simply for a change of venue, head to KUNSTHALLE wien and ART CULT CENTER - Tabakmuseum. At KUNSTHALLE, you'll find many international and contemporary pieces, including cross-genre experimental work in architecture, photography, video and film. And an interesting look at the history of tobacco, including many artifacts, can be found at Tabakmuseum. According to its mission statement, the Museum Quartier "is a place of cultural variety, experimentation, ongoing action and change, and cultural exchange. [It is a] living, contemporary center for the arts, [and] embodies an expanded, multidisciplinary approach to culture." But my experience there was that and even more. As I enjoyed a drink in the courtyard cafe, after the museums had all closed, I looked out over the Quartier. Dozens of people from all walks of life now shared this wonderful evening in Vienna. The sun setting over the top of the entrance archway, I almost began to feel overwhelmed again with the charm and beauty of this place. As I sat back and contemplated that I would need more than a week to experience all this cultural Mecca had to offer (and that would only be glancing over the pieces--not fully exploring), I realized that through that archway was the rest of Vienna, and one day was not enough. If you're travels one day take you to this bustling, gorgeous city, I highly recommend making Museum Quartier an important part of your visit.
If You Go … Admission: 16 - 25 Euros Hours of Operation: (the passageways and walkways are open 24 hours a day). Architekturzentrum Wein: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. daily (Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.) KUNSTHALLE wein: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. daily (Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., closed Wednesdays). Leopold Museum: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Fridays, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (Sundays, Saturdays, holidays 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., closed Tuesdays). MUMOK: Tuesdays - Sundays, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Thursdays, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. (closed Mondays except on holidays). ZOOM Kindermuseum:Mondays - Fridays, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Saturdays / Sundays / holidays 10 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.
Facilities: Cafe Leopold (Open daily 10 a.m. - 2 a.m., Tuesdays, 4 p.m. - 2 a.m.) MQ Main Entrance Shop (Info and Ticket Center) Shops at Museum Quartier Wein (books, photographs, catalogues of current exhibitions) Also check these Web sites:
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