Giovanni Battista Moroni: Portrait of the nobleman Prospero Alessandri (ca. 1560)

Vienna is, as you know, always worth a visit! The Albertina is currently showing more than one hundred outstanding paintings and sculptures from the exquisite collections of the Princely House of Liechtenstein (until June 10) – magnificent Old Masters, from Rubens to Makart. A good reason to visit the Danube metropolis. For a first impression (and for those of you who won’t make it to Vienna) I share my favorite selection of the most beautiful exhibits.

Antico: Bust of Marcus Aurelius (ca. 1500)

The House of Liechtenstein’s magnificent art collections rank among the most important and largest private collections in the world, comparable only to those of the British royal family. They comprise imposing sculptures and paintings of the Renaissance and the Baroque by Adriaen de Vries, Peter Paul Rubens und Anthonis van Dyck, superb works by the Italian and French artists Giambologna aka Giovanni da Bolgna, Canaletto and Hyacinthe Rigaud, masterpieces of the Viennese Biedermeier by Friedrich von Amerling and Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, as well as exquisite paintings of the Makart era.

Hans Makart: The Death of Cleopatra (1875)

The House of Liechtenstein, originally an Austrian noble dynasty, had held vast possessions in Lower Austria and Moravia since the Middle Ages. In 1599, Karl I von Liechtenstein converted from the Protestant faith to the Catholicism. In 1608 he received the title of bereditary prince and thus laid the foundation for the rise of the House of Liechtenstein. In the early eighteenth century the princely family’s diverse castles and palaces were transferred to the City Palace in Vienna.

Salviati: Portrait of a Man (ca. 1543-48)

Three hundred years ago, in 1719, Emperor Charles VI elevated the neighboring estates of Vaduz and Schellenberg to the status of Imperial Principality: Liechtenstein became a sovereign state within the Holy Roman Empire. From 1807 onward, Johann I von Liechtenstein had the extensive picture gallery transferred from the Viennese City Palace to the Summer Palace outside the town walls. In 1810, five years after Duke Albert, the Albertina’s founder, the House of Liechtenstein likewise made its collections accessible to the public.

Lucas van Valckenborch The Elder: The Parable of the Blind leading the Blind (after 1568)

A year earlier Prince Johann I von Liechtenstein had fought side by side with Generalissimo Archduke Carl in the Battle of Aspern (1809). He had this first victory over Napoleon’s troops, captured in a monumental painting by Johann Peter Krafft (now on view in the Albertina’s staterooms as a permanent loan from the Princely Collections).

Quentin Massys The Elder: The Tax Collectors (ca. 1525-30)

In the nineteenth century, Prince Alois II and his son, Johann II, became the most prominent patrons and collectors of Viennese Biedermeier art. Hundreds of Paintings by Waldmüller, Fendi, Amerling and Rudolf von Alt in today’s Viennese Collections go back to Johann II’s donations. The House of Liechtenstein’s collections survived the First World War and the downfall of the Habsburg monarchy unscathed.

Osias Beert The Elder: Large Still Life with Apples, Grapes and a Vase of Flowers (ca. 1600-20)

In the final weeks of the Second World War, they were relocated from Vienna to the neutral Principality of Liechtenstein for reasons of safety. In days of economic hardship and dispossessions following Europe’s division into East and West, many paintings were sold, including key works by Leonardo, Canaletto and Rubens. Only under Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein has the family’s art collection began to grow again substantially. Exhibiting the most beautiful and important masterpieces from the Princely Collections, the Albertina is celebrating the Principality’s 300^th anniversary in the palace of Duke Albert and Archduke Carl, both of whom once maintained such close relations with the House of Liechtenstein.

Source: Albertina Wien

Me infront of Ruben’s Portrait of his daughter Clara Serena (ca. 1616)

…come a bit closer…

Franz Jansz. van der Uyl: Breakfast Still Life with a Pewter Flagon (1635) – Fascinating details such as the silver bowl and the light reflections on the pot as to be seen here

Jan van Huysum: Flowers in a Terracotta Vase (ca. 1725) …note the three-dimensional depiction of the putti on the vase!

Peter Paul Rubens: Venus infront of the Mirror (ca. 1614/15) …and here the bangle of Venus as well as the mirror perspective!

Anthonis van Dyck: Portrait of a Woman (1618) …impressive filigree of lace and jewelry …

Anthonis von Dyck: Saint Jerome (ca. 1615/16)

Roelant Savery: A Bouquet of Flowers (1612)

Guiseppe Arcimboldo: Terra (Earth) ca. 1570

One of my favourite paintings of this exposition: “Landscape with the Young Tobias” by Jan Brueghel The Elder (1598). Even in the depth of the picture you will discover the finest detail depictions

Adriaen de Vries: Saint Sebastian (ca. 1613/14)

Peter Paul Rubens: Jan Vermoelen (1616)

Anthonis van Dyck: Maria de Tassis (ca. 1629/30)

Five centuries of art history

Gerrit Adriansz. Berckheyde: The Market Square in Haarlem (1661)

Frans Snyders: The Lioness (ca. 1620/30)

View into the exhibition rooms of the Albertina, in the back “The Battle between the Romans and Sabines” by Sebastiano Ricci (ca. 1700)

Domenico Guidi: Bust of Maria Annunciata (ca. 1670)

Franz Eybl: The Strawberry Seller of Hallstatt (1844)

Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow: Felix Schadow (ca. 1830)

Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller: Roses (1843)

Franz Anton Zauner: Seated Figure of Clio (1779) – in the background paintings of Batoni

Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller: Flowers in a Porcelain Vase with a Candlestick and Silver Vessels (1839)

Friedrich von Amerling: Princess Maria Franziska von Liechtenstein (1836)

Contact Albertina:

albertina.at

You can find more articles about art and culture here.

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The Albertina in Vienna. Here, you can see the great Raphael exhibition until the 7th of January 2018

Fans of art need to hurry: Only until January 7, 2018, the most significant exhibition of this exceptional Italian artist to date can be seen in the Albertina in Vienna. With around 130 drawings and 18 paintings, the exhibition brings together all of Raphael’s most important works: from the early Umbrian period (until 1504) through the years in Florence (1504-1508) to the Roman period (1508-1520), there are impressive works to look at from all creative phases. They are intended to explain Raphael’s meticulous thinking and working processes, from initial idea sketches to detailed and compositional studies and finally to the final painting. His masterful drawings alone made him one of the greatest draughts men of art history.

The Madonna with the Christ Child seating on a stone balustrade

Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo – whom he both worshiped – Raphael (1483-1520) is the great triumvirate of the Renaissance. Raphael, who was born as Raphaelo Santi in Urbino in 1483 and died in Rome in 1520 at the age of only 37, is considered a true universal genius. Whether as a painter and architect in Florence and Rome (inter alia as the site manager of St. Peter’s Basilica) or commissioned by popes and princes. Raphael’s drawings were already collected during his lifetime and are still considered to be a valuable treasure for important collectors. The founder of the Albertina, Duke Albert of Sachsen-Teschen owned more than 50 Raphael drawings alone.

Cecilie in front of a miniature model: The painted papal apartments of the Vatican Palace as a model version give an idea of the size and scope of individual commissioned works by Raphael

Numerous works from the Albertina collection and loans from world-famous museums, including the Uffizi Gallery, the Louvre, the Vatican Museums and the Royal Collection of British Queen Elizabeth II illustrate the work of Raphael, who was always in search of the balance between nature imitation and ideal picture.

Ranking among the most beautiful portrait drawings of the Renaissance is Raphael’s portrait of this graceful youth from 1503

According to Albertina director Klaus Albrecht Schröder after the shows about Van Gogh and Michelangelo, the chronologically designed exhibition is the third most expensive in the history of the Albertina. And – in my opinion – a ‘must-see’ for every art fan.  BvH

I particularly like the red-blue color concept of the exhibition rooms

Raphael is one of the most important masters of art history alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo

The portrait of this comely young man shows the eminent banker and art-loving patron Bindo Altoviti in his early twenties and was formerly wrongly considered to be a self-portrait of Raphael

Raphael’s first self-portrait from 1506

Detailed red-chalk sheet of the Cumaean Sibyl

The Madonna dell ‘ Impannata painted on behalf of Bindo Altoviti. The painting was specially restored for the exhibition, which is why the colors are so expressive

Head of a Cherub (1509). Charcoal on paper

The Holy Family with a Lamb (1507). Oil on wood

Portrait of a 14 year old unknown young man

Me in front of the Madonna with Child (1508). The very fact that this painting is over 500 years old, I find already moving

Albertina and the Raphael exhibition:

albertina.at

More Vienna-tips you can find here: Ein perfekter Tag in Wien,  (A perfect day in Vienna) Part 1-3. A MyStylery-Series

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Edvard Munch – Love, Death and Loneliness – the exhibition takes place until the 24th of January*

I am an art lover and an avowed hater of the cold. So what shall one do whilst the current onset of winter in Vienna, when even the thoughts of cold lead to goose pimples?
I recommend visiting the Albertina, which accommodates one of the most significant graphical art collections in the world.

Edvard Munch: ‘Two people. The loneliness’ (1899)*

Here you can see the Edvard Munch-exhibition ‘Liebe, Tod und Einsamkeit’ (Love, Death and Loneliness) which takes place until the 24th of January. And this is definitely worth seeing, because more than 100 important works of the Norwegian artist and big protagonist of the Modern Art can be admired, including The Scream, Madonna, The Kiss and Melancholia. All exhibits of the show come from the worldwide biggest private collection of Edvard Munch’s master-prints.

Klaus Albrecht Schröder, director of the Albertina Vienna above the famous ‘Scream’: “Munch found a figure that stands for the fear of the unknown, the fear of what happened and the fear of what will come.” The Scream (1895), Lithography with ink

I think it was interesting to see the insights into Munch’s experimental, graphical approaches and the idea behind it, to increase edition and income, like the motto art = commerce. Munch’s life and work has been accompanied by many existential crises and breakdowns and simultaneously also by certain pragmatism: it is said that he actually used his prints as lid due to his chaotic and messy atelier. Anecdotes like this ensure that the partially morbid atmosphere didn’t ruin my mind. Conclusion: ‘Love, Death and Loneliness’ is a must for all art-enthusiasts. By the way it’s also worth going on a sunny day, as one will have all the rooms and art works nearly for oneself alone. BvH

As precursor and pioneer of the expressionism, Edvard Munch describes the transience and the disappearance of the individual in the age of the industrialization. ‘Tingeltangel’ (1895), Lithography, handcolored

Isn’t it strange that Munch dedicated this painting to a piece of jewelry – even the woman is the eye catcher, right? ‘The Brooch – Eva Mudocci’ (1903), Lithography

Another beauty: ‘Madonna’ (1895/1902), Colored Lithography

The ‘Madonna’. In this painting with ferocious looking embryo and – ups – sperms at the image border*

‘Fear’ (1896), Lithography: Works like ‘Fear’ illustrate Munch’s intensive confrontation with loneliness, love and death. A little bit scary, isn’t it?*

Edvard Munch’s painting and graphic count to the absolute art-highlights of the turn of the century. Here ‘Moonlight I’ (1899 / 1906 – 1914), woodcut*

Contact:

Albertinaplatz 1
1010 Wien, Austria
www.albertina.at

Featured pic and pics marked* by Albertina, Wien

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The Christkindlmarkt am Rathaus and the sparkling sea of lights

I just came back from Vienna and I can only say: what a wonderful and beautiful city. Especially now during the Christmas season it seems like a magical atmosphere you cannot get rid of. Strolling over the Christmas markets in front of historical backdrops like the town hall or castle Schönbrunn, warming oneself up at café Central or café Landtmann whilst drinking a hot chocolate (of course with cream!), marvelling at the festively decorated streets Herrengasse or Graben … Vienna offers a lot more than that. I will tell you my favourite tips.

The ‚Motto am Fluss’ in the ship station of the Donau river with restaurant and café

For breakfast go to the Donau. The café ‚Motto am Fluss‘ is perfect for every late riser – you can have breakfast until 4 pm and meanwhile enjoy the view on the water of the river. The foundation for my upcoming day: scrambled eggs with homemade bread and yummy-guacamole.

Scrambled eggs with homemade bread and yummy-guacamole

From there I start my shopping tour: I’m heading towards the big streets like Tuchlauben and small side streets around the Stephansplatz. It’s a must see, also because of the impressive lightening. Tip: have a look at boutique ‘Inked’ with labels like Helmut Lang, Rag & Bone, Vince or Vanessa Bruno.

Inked Boutique in the center of Vienna

At Albertina you can see the Edvard Munch exhibition until the 24th of January 2016 (later more). Even the Habsburger Prunkräume (the Habsburg’s rooms) can be compared with an opulent orgy and are a great alternative to the Sissi apartments in the Hofburg, where you’ll always find long queues.

Mecca of art: The Albertina

After so much art I need a snack. No, I’m NOT going to opposite Café Mozart or in the neighbouring Café Sacher: I choose the Tirolerhof, a true insider tip and one of the last institutions under the coffee houses, in which one will meet true Viennese people. Including grumpy waiters.

A Viennese coffee house legend: The Tirolerhof

Apropos: my Viennese friend Yella recommends the tiny restaurant ‚Zum Johann‘ at Lerchenfelderstraße, the demarcation line between seventh and eighth district. There, ex-advertiser and passionate man-in-the-kitchen Gregor Panis serves delicious small dishes, including small talk and meetings with the regular guests. And of course everyone is from Vienna. Tip: call and order in advance.

‘Zum Johann‘: fine cuisine at only 20 square meters. Since one year Gregor Panis serves Austrian specialities – prior from the ‘Bucklige Welt’ and selected wines. Every Wednesday is mother’s day. Then Gregors mother cooks, for example stuffed peppers

‘Gemüsepfanne’ with zucchini, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, parsnips, tomatoes, squash and freshly picked rosemary. Served with yogurt sour cream: Delicious!

My trip continues by walking into the seventh district, the home of the youngsters and those young at heart in chic old buildings. Here you’ll find trendy cafés and restaurants, nice little shops and a harmonic Christmas market at Spittelberg that goes around Stift- and Gutenberggasse. I stroll through the Burggasse and discover Eva-Maria Thalhammers pop up-store at Gutenberggasse, who presents antiques and beautiful things in shabby-chic atmosphere until the end of December.

The purest treasure trove: Eva-Maria Thalhammer in her Pop Up-Store

At Westbahnstraße I find the Epicerie ‘Un Jour en France’ and the boutique ‘Comerc’ and so I end up in another café – yes, this is how it works when you’re in Vienna – the ‘Toma tu Tiempo’ with a Spanish menu and a small, cosy oven.

The Café ‘Toma tu Tiempo‘ in the Zieglergasse in the seventh district

The day ends like it started. Nearly. Because then I go to ‘Motto’ again. But this time I go to the newly renovated restaurant-dependence in the fifth district. Dining in ultra-chic ambient, drinking and dancing (later in the evening), elegant, hip people. The food (for example the curry with vegetables and bio-chicken or the three falafels) is simply delicious, although the service could be better. It was still a wonderful evening in a marvellous city. BvH

Behind an inconspicuous door you’ll find the legend of a restaurant: Motto. 2015 it was completely new designed and is now super trendy. Photo: Motto

The Motto, a place for night owls, who like to come for the legendary beef tatar or the baked ham pasta

Shabby chic, raw charm of industry and bare walls meet comfortable benches in a rich tone of green. Photo: Motto

A little bit of Spain in the seventh district …

… in the ‘Toma tu Tiempo‘

Having the honor

France is just around the corner on the Westbahnstraße: The Epicerie ‘Un jour en France‘

Rip, rip with the credit card at the ‘Comerc‘ Store

Eldorado for nostalgics in the antique shop on the Westbahnstraße

Pop Up-Store in the Gutenberggasse …

… with lovingly selected ancient artefacts and rarities

Vienna, only you …

There are lots of traditional Viennese Coffee Houses in the centre of the city, but only a few that aren’t tourist traps:

… exposed but somehow still hidden: the Café Tirolerhof. Not a really big name, no attraction, nearly an insider tip

The Habsburg’s rooms at the ‘Albertina‘. In addition, the Albertina contains one of the most important graphic collections in the world

Me and the tree: When Archduchess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg, wife of Archduke Karl, was planning the first Christmas in the audience hall of her palatial residential palace, today the Albertina, she decided to continue with the Protestant custom of a “Grass Tree” in Vienna because of her six children

Hall of the Muses at Albertina

Since 2007, the Habsburg’s rooms radiate after renovation in new splendor

The ‘Spanish apartment’ was created in 1895 as a permanent residence of the Spanish royal family, who lodged here until 1918 during her frequent stays in Vienna

… Shall be the city of my dreams

One of the most stylish interior shops in Vienna: Eva-Maria Thonet in the first district

The Hofburg with the apartments of Empress Sissi

Impressive Christmas lights in the Inner City. Here: Graben …

… and the Herrengasse

Popular – and therefore well attended – the Christmas market in front of a historic backdrop: Schloss Schönbrunn. Tip: Avoid weekends and go during the week!

Just a perfect day!

Restaurant ‘Motto am Fluss‘ with outdoor deck …

… and Café …

In this furnace, the mega-delicious Marianne-bread is baked! Sooooo good!

And because MyStylery loves the ‘motto’ so much, here again is another view!

Bye bye ‘Motto’, see you soon Vienna!

Contacts:

Café Motto am Fluss
Franz Josefs Kai 2
1010 Wien
(Between Marienbrücke and Schwedenbrücke)
www. mottoamfluss.at

Motto
Schönbrunner Straße 30
1050 Wien
www.motto.at

Boutique Inked
Bauernmarkt 15 & 16
1010 Wien
www.inked.at

Albertina
Albertinaplatz 1
1010 Wien
www.albertina.at

Tirolerhof
Führichgasse 8
1010 Wien

Zum Johann
Lerchenfelderstraße 104
1080 Wien
www.zumjohann.at

Toma tu Tiempo
Zieglergasse 44
1070 Wien
www.tomatutiempo.at

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