Egon Schiele was not only a brilliant artist, but also a master of creative survival. When he was arrested in 1912 for “distributing indecent drawings,” the police searched his studio and confiscated over a hundred of his works. The judge, apparently not a great art lover, burned one of his nude drawings in the courtroom in front of the assembled audience - a moment that later inspired Schiele to paint even more provocatively. If you would like to see his art for yourself, you can admire a collection of his masterpieces in the permanent exhibition of the Leopold Museum. With 44 paintings, over 200 watercolors, drawings and prints as well as numerous autographs and varia, it houses the largest and most important Schiele collection in the world.

Permanent exhibition

Egon Schiele, “Sitting Male Nude” (self-portrait), 1910 © Leopold Museum, Vienna/ Manfred Thumberger

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Egon Schiele in the Leopold Museum

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The Albertina presents an exhibition that compares works by the Chinese Canadian artist Matthew Wong (1984-2019) and the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). The artists share a remarkable artistic and personal connection, which is reflected in their expressive coloring, their unconventional painting style, their late calling to painting, their struggle with psychological problems and their tragic end to their lives.
Although both of them had no direct connection to Vienna, there are still interesting aspects to be told about them.

For example, it is said that Van Gogh was a great lover of nature and spent a lot of time outdoors painting. He was fascinated by the beauty of nature and tried to capture its colors and shapes in his paintings. Once, he is said to have spent an entire day painting a field of sunflowers, and at the end of the day he was so exhausted that he fell asleep and left his tools lying next to him in the grass. The artist also never had a joyful relationship. He fell unhappily in love with his cousin Kee Vos and later with a prostitute named Sien Hoornik. Both loves failed and left Van Gogh with deep disappointments. After she rejected his marriage proposal, Van Gogh sent her one of his shoes as a sign of his despair. It is believed that he saw the shoe as a symbol of his willingness to follow her wherever she might go. Matthew Wong, the self-taught artist, began painting at the age of 27. Previously, he had worked in various professions, including as an English teacher in China and as a bookseller in Hong Kong. It is said that one day in a bookstore he stumbled upon an art book and was inspired to pick up a brush himself. Wong was self-taught and taught himself to paint. Wong also suffered from depression, Tourette's syndrome and autism. He spoke openly about his mental health problems and also processed them in his works. Painting was a kind of therapy for him and helped him to express his inner conflicts.

Until June 19, 2025

Matthew Wong, Coming of Age Landscape, 2018
© National Gallery of Slovenia
Vincent van Gogh,
Field with irises near Arles, 1888
© Vincent van Gogh Foundation

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Van Gogh und Matthew Wong at the Albertina

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Slovenian Painting at the Lower Belvedere

The current exhibition “The World in Colors – Slovenian Painting 1848−1918“at the Belvedere also addresses the ambivalent relationship of Slovenian artists to Vienna. This tension between attraction and delimitation, between the desire for recognition in the art metropolis and the adherence to one's own identity, is reflected not only in the works themselves, but also in many an anecdote that tells of the life of Slovenian artists in Vienna at the turn of the century. One of the artists presented is Ivan Grohar (1867-1911), one of the most important Slovenian painters around 1900, who had a special relationship with Vienna. Like many other artists of his time, he was drawn to the Danube metropolis, which was considered the center of art and culture. But Grohar's stay in Vienna was marked by ambivalence. One story tells that Grohar often wandered for hours through the streets of Vienna, looking for motifs for his paintings. He came across an old man sitting on a bench playing the violin. Grohar was so impressed by the melancholy and expression of the violinist that he spontaneously asked him to sit for him. The result was the painting "The Violinist", which is now considered one of his masterpieces. This story shows how Grohar in Vienna not only sought inspiration, but also human encounters. He was a keen observer of his environment and captured the small stories of everyday life in his paintings. He was interested not only in the beautiful sides of life, but also in the dark sides, the loneliness and poverty.

Until 25 May 2025
Ivana Kobilca, „Summer“, 1889–1890
© National Gallery of Slovenia

Dagobert Peche at MAK

Currently, the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna is hosting the exhibition "Peche Pop. Dagobert Peche and his Traces in the Present". Dagobert Peche, an eccentric and influential Austrian designer, was known for his playful and extravagant designs, which often contrasted with the stricter style of the Wiener Werkstätte. He was an important member of this group, which revolutionized the arts and crafts in Vienna around the turn of the century. Peche's life was full of surprises and unexpected turns; he is said to have once declared, "I want my furniture to dance!" His designs were so extravagant that they sometimes even surprised the workshop's craftsmen. At the Kunstgewerbeschule his lectures were famous for their bizarre anecdotes and surprising twists. He allegedly said once poked a student in the behind with a sharpened pencil to get his attention. His works can still be seen today in many museums and collections around the world and continue to inspire people with their unique and imaginative aesthetic.

Until 11 May 2025
Dagobert Peche, Wiener Werkstätte, "Daphne" Wallpaper, 1914, © MAK

Marc Chagall at Albertina Museum

The world famous painter Marc Chagall was a master of the imagination, and his world obeyed its own rules - much to the astonishment of his contemporaries. Pablo Picasso also recognized Chagall’s talent, but there was a charming rivalry between the two artists. Picasso praised Chagall as a talent of color, to which he remarked with a wink: “I admire him very much… if only I could like him a little more!” In addition to art, Chagall had a fondness for goats - both in his paintings and in real life. During his time in Russia, he kept a goat in his house, much to the dismay of his neighbors. “At least she’s a quiet listener – unlike the art critics!” he joked. His humor was also evident in his interactions with art collectors: When a proud owner presented him with his supposed Chagall painting, the artist looked at it briefly and said dryly: “Very interesting. Did you know that I sometimes paint fakes too?” A critic once complained about his famous flying cows, sneering that such animals did not exist in reality. Chagall replied calmly: “In my world, yes!”

Until 9 February 2025