Albertina, Vienna Overview

Albertina, one of the oldest museums in Vienna, is known primarily for its large print rooms. Housing over 65,000 drawings and 1 million master prints, it is a modern graphic arts museum. Located on two locations in Albertinaplatz and Kalsplatz, the museum also has some permanent displays.

More recently the museum has acquired early 20th-century Impressionist artwork, some of which is on permanent display now. Europe’s most famous Modern Art collection is housed within Albertina. From Monet to Picasso, the Albertina has the largest and most valuable graphical collections in the world. As the largest Habsburg residential palace, the Albertina dominates the southern tip of the Imperial Palace on one of the last remaining fortress walls in Vienna.

The museum hosts several temporary exhibitions throughout the year, surrounding various relevant themes. Apart from this, one can choose to dine at the Do & Co Albertina or, the Augustinerkeller offers delicacies of Viennese cuisine, located immediately next to the Albertina.

History of Albertina

Erected on the Augustinian Bastion, Albertina was constructed on one of the last remaining fortifications of Vienna. Only in 1744, the building was refurbished Duke Albert of Saxen-Teschen inducted Albertina as a museum by setting up his graphics collection from Brussels. Since then, the collection has been expanded upon by Albert’s successors. Republic of Austria undertook the ownership of the building and the collection in warly 1919. Once the collections of artwork were clubbed with the collection at the former imperial court library in 1920, the name Albertina was made official in 1920.

Collections at Albertina

The Albertina holds works by all of modern and contemporary art history’s great artists. From French impressionism and fauvism to works of expressionist artist groups and the Russian avant-garde as well as numerous masterpieces by Picasso, Kiefer, and Lassnig, the museum is home to all of the pioneering artistic ideas of the modern era and the present.

1. The Batliner Collection

Its permanent display starts off with artists of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism such as Monet, Degas, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Gauguin. Further highlights include examples of German Expressionism, with the groups of Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter, and the art of New Objectivity, with works by Wacker, Sedlacek, and Hofer.

2. Graphic Arts Collection

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The Graphic Art Collection, founded in 1776 by Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen, contains more than millions of artistic work ranging from alte Gothic work to the present. The Albertina Museum houses a variety of works from artists such as Michelangelo, Dürer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Picasso, Richter and many others. The Graphic Arts Collection has come to harbor 600 years ofart history in a single location.

3. Photography

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Around 100,000 treasures of photographic history trace the field’s most significant developments and provide an introduction to genres including portrait, architecture, landscape, and street photography that ranges from the medium’s beginnings to the present day. The Albertina Museum’s photographic masterpieces are shown in temporary exhibitions held in the Galleries for Photography.

4. Architecture

architecture collection, albertina — Source

The Architecture Collection, at the Albertina Museum, gives way to about 40,000 models, studies and plans that fall in the genre of architectural drawing. Covering an ouveure of work from the late gothic period to the architecture of the present, the museum holds signficant works by Bernini, Borromini, Hansen, Wagner, Loos, Hollein, Hadid, and many others.

5. State Rooms

The Albertina Museum served as the residential location for centuries of Habsburg archdukes and archduchesses. This resulted in the 20 sumptuously decorated and painstakingly restored Habsburg State Rooms that sweep visitors away into the enthralling space of worldly taste with their precious wall coverings, chandeliers, fireplaces and stoves, distinctive marquetry, and exquisite furniture.

Rules to Remember while Visiting Albertina

It is not permitted to smoke within the museum. Taking in pets is forbidden too.
You cannot touch or photograph any of the works of art.
Eating and drinking is strictly prohibited except with prior permission or at the Do & Co restaurant on premises.
Using your mobile phone, indulging in flash photography or taking selfies is not allowed in the museum. You can apply for a permit to photograph for journalistic purposes at the Albertina Museum’s Press Office.
All backpacks, baggage and umbrellas are to be kept in the cloakroom and cannot be taken into the museum.

How To Reach Albertina

U-Bahn (underground): U1, U2, U4 (station: Karlsplatz/Oper), U3 (station: Stephansplatz)
Tram: 1, 2, D, 62, 71, and the Lokalbahn Wien-Baden (stop: Kärntner Ring/Oper)
Public bus: 2A (stop: Albertina)