As successor institution to the New Gallery of the City of Linz, the LENTOS Kunstmuseum, is considered one of the most important museums of modern and contemporary art in Austria. Starting from the collection holdings, which focus on masterpieces of European painting from the first half of the 20th century and a rich collection of graphic art and high quality photography, LENTOS’s collection draws from the classical art historical periods of the early 20th century to the most current art positions of today.

Since its opening in 2003, Linz has had an art museum of international stature, with a top class building created by the Zurich architects Weber & Hofer. Striking in its simplicity and subtly contouring the silhouette of the city, with the nightly illumination of its glass casing the museum has already become a landmark of Linz. Located in the immediate proximity of the Danube between the Nibelungen Bridge and the Brucknerhaus, the museum is only a short walk away from the main square and yet also offers recreation in the expansive green park on the bank of the Danube.

LENTOS is an institution that is constantly moving. Over the years the Collection has been continually expanded. The focus today is on contemporary Austrian art (including Aigner, Golz, Krystufek, Lienbacher, Kempinger, Lois and Franziska Weinberger). This expansion of the Collection is made possible, not least of all, through donations and regular endowments from the ‘Friends of the Kunstmuseum’.

Art as a medium for understanding the world, art as a catalyst for experiencing the individual reality of life, but also art as a means of probing social possibilities: these are key concepts that determine how the exhibition program and the broad-ranging events that enhance the program of the museum are conceived and communicated.

The exhibition program of the LENTOS Kunstmuseum is intended to be a conscious interplay between the presentation of the permanent collection with its historical holdings and the temporary presentation of contemporary exhibitions. The central concern of the museum is to make the diverse and rich museum holdings from the 19th to the early 21st century continuously accessible to a broad public. In keeping with the museum’s program of looking at art history from the perspective of the present, LENTOS sets new standards in the presentation of art collections. For instance, contemporary artists have been invited to develop new concepts for hanging, contrasting contemporary art with the collection holdings from the 19th century up to art of the 21st century. This presentation structure facilitates the discovery of new thematic and formal connections, so that the encounter with art remains vibrant and lively.

Special exhibitions are devoted to the multifaceted themes and eras of art, as well as to individual artists. Not only are Austrian positions but also those of international developments in contemporary art–along with the interdisciplinary influence of many different genres of art.

LENTOS Collection: Building on the collection of the Berlin art dealer Wolfgang Gurlitt (1888–1965), the holdings have been richly expanded since 1953. The Collection consists of roughly 1,600 works of painting, sculpture and object art and over 10,000 works on paper, including 850 photographs. The earliest works in the museum are from the first half of the 19th century, such as C.D. Friedrich and J.B. Reiter. From the field of classical Modernism, LENTOS has important paintings by Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka, Corinth and Pechstein. From the inter-war period there are works of German and Austrian Expressionism and Neue Sachlichkeit (Mueller, Modersohn-Becker). The period after 1945 is illustrated with works of international art, including paintings, sculptures and graphic works by Appel, Bayer, Nay, Warhol, Haring, Lassnig, Lupertz, Rainer, Chillida, Cragg, Scully, Balkenhol, and Valley Export. In addition to the outstanding graphic art collection with important compilations from Kubin to Pop Art, LENTOS also has several hundred art-historically significant photographs from A. Rodtschenko, Man Ray, and H. Bayer.

LENTOS sees itself as a place of open encounters with art. In all its complexity, the confrontation with art stimulates important mental processes among people of all ages. The LENTOS art public program facilitates engaging with this encounter with art through lectures, discussions, seminars and workshops.

In conjunction with exhibition and event projects, the museum cultivates international relationships–both temporary and lasting–with renowned art and cultural institutions all over the world. Yet being anchored in the national and local context is just as important to the museum as tying itself to the international art and cultural scene. LENTOS therefore cooperates regularly to produce major event series with the city of Linz, as well as with local institutions of art and culture, education and science.

An additional strand to the public facing program, is the breakfast ‘Sundays at 11′. This series focuses on generating interdisciplinary dialogues between genres and other areas of society.

Visitors to LENTOS not only become acquainted with the exhibitions, they are also offered a diversified educational introduction to the history of the museum and can arrange to take a glimpse behind the scenes of a museum by appointment.

The offers include guided tours, workshops and discussions about art for adults, families, working people, children and young people within or apart from school classes. In the LENTOS Atelier children and young people can discover art works, be creative themselves and try out various techniques. Special tours and workshops are developed for schools based on dialogue and geared to specific age groups.

A total area of 8000 m2 distributed over three floors are available for use in the LENTOS new quarters. Until today, the New Gallery – located in the residential and commercial building complex “Lentia 2000″ in Linz from 1979 – has had to make do with a total area of only 3600 m2 and with ceilings much too low for its needs. In LENTOS the entire upper floor with an area of about 2300 m2 will be reserved for exhibitions, beneath that, the giant hall Ð the biggest exhibition room in Austria. Around 400 m2 are set aside in the basement for the graphic art exhibition space. The foyer and shop, an auditorium with 200 seats, a flexible space for art education, and the library are also important public areas, along with the cafe-restaurant and terrace with a panorama view of the Danube.