Stellprobe

More than 150 artworks are being brought together at Belvedere 21 in the spirit of a Stellprobe—a stage rehearsal in which the relationships between figures, objects, and narratives are tested out in space—an experimental, intuitive arrangement. Spread across the ground floor, upper floor, Blickle Cinema, and sculpture garden, this large-scale exhibition presents acquisitions and donations mfrom the past decade. It functions a review, an insight into the collection strategy, and a temporary vision of a possible future museum.

Collecting, one of a museum’s core responsibilities, is central to shaping its identity. Guided by the Belvedere’s mission to present Austrian art within an international context and by a program committed to offering new perspectives on art history, the collection is continually being expanded and updated across all periods. The exhibition ranges from sixteenth-century medieval altarpieces to historical works from later eras and extends into contemporary art—the museum’s fastest-growing collection area. Particular emphasis has been placed on increasing the representation of women artists from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as other previously underrepresented positions. These include figures associated with the feminist avant-garde and artists whose work engages with experiences of migration. The media on display are as diverse as the historical contexts, spanning paintings, sculptures, drawings, moving-image works, textiles, porcelain, and sound installations. Taken together, they form a fragmentary snapshot of the collection, while also affirming the value of these objects and the museum’s commitment to preserving them for future generations.

The display conceived by Heimo Zobernig creates a bold link between the two exhibition levels while actively engaging with the specific characteristics of the atrium building designed by Karl Schwanzer. For his expansive installation, Zobernig employs used stage elements from the Volkstheater in Vienna.

Featured artists: Caroline Achaintre, Marc Adrian, Uli Aigner, Rudolf von Alt, Friedrich von Amerling, Iris Andraschek, Christian Ludwig Attersee, Sasha Auerbakh, Josef Bauer, Renate Bertlmann, Linda Bilda, Tina Blau, Hans Böhler, Leda Bourgogne, Herbert Brandl, Günter Brus, Helen Chadwick, Jasmina Cibic, Tony Cokes, Maria Cyrenius, Canan Dagdelen, Gunter Damisch, Katrina Daschner, Carola Dertnig, herman de vries, Ines Doujak, Heinrich Dunst, Anton Einsle, Georg Eisler, EVA & ADELE, VALIE EXPORT, Franz Eybl, Marina Faust, Judith Fegerl, Philipp Fleischmann, Ernst Fuchs, Helene Funke, Kerstin von Gabain, Robert Gabris, Gelitin, Birke Gorm, Franz Graf, Lily Greenham, Jojo Gronostay, Nilbar Güreş, Maria Hahnenkamp, Margarete Hamerschlag, Flora Hauser, Josef Heideloff, Lena Henke, Matthias Herrmann, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Christine Hohenbüchler, Irene Hohenbüchler, Donna Huanca, Tess Jaray, Nicolas Jasmin, Johanna Kandl, Barbara Kapusta, Luisa Kasalicky, Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, Alfred Klinkan, Jakob Lena Knebl, Stanislava Kovalcikova, Brigitte Kowanz, Elke Silvia Krystufek, Sonia Leimer, Angelika Loderer, Nana Mandl, Dorit Margreiter Choy, Meister der Oberfalkensteiner Altarflügel (Meister von Möllbrücke), Anna Meyer, Martin van Meytens the Younger, Miao Ying, Kazuko Miyamoto, Alois Mosbacher, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky, Sandra Mujinga, Ulrike Müller, Henrike Naumann, Hermann Nitsch, Oswald Oberhuber, Sarah Ortmeyer, Michèle Pagel, Max Peintner, Walter Pichler, Margot Pilz, Elisabeth Plank, Katrin Plavčak, Rona Pondick, Lisl Ponger, Marc Quinn, Liesl Raff, Joseph Rebell, Oliver Ressler, Fritz Riedl, Frenzi Rigling, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Isa Rosenberger, Maruša Sagadin, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Alfons Schilling, Eva Schlegel, Toni Schmale, Isa Schmidlehner, Constanze Schweiger, Selma Selman, Tamuna Sirbiladze, Soshana, Anne Speier, Nancy Spero, Fritz Steinkellner, Ceija Stojka, Rini Tandon, Erwin Thorn, Philipp Timischl, Giuseppe Tominz, Franz Vana, Walter Vopava, Maja Vukoje, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Kay Walkowiak, Peter Weibel, Lois Weinberger, Susanne Wenger, Franz West, Heliane Wiesauer-Reiterer, Anna Witt, Franziska Zach, Siegfried Zaworka, Heimo Zobernig.

Curated by: Stella Rollig and Luisa Ziaja. Assistant curators: Johanna Hofer and Katarina Lozo.

Press contact: presse [at] belvedere.at / T +43 1 79 557-185. View press materials here.