The Belvedere: 300 Years a Venue for Art

Anniversary publication of the Belvedere

The Belvedere in Vienna epitomizes the changes that have taken place over the course of three centuries in the concept of what constitutes a museum. Originally built by Prince Eugene of Savoy to enhance his prestige as a prince, under Maria Theresa, the Upper Belvedere became one of the world’s first public museums. The idea of presenting Austrian art in an international context, which in 1903 motivated the establishment of the Modern Gallery in the Lower Belvedere, remains the key objective of this world-famous cultural institution.

In this critical homage, renowned authors explore enduring questions that transcend the different epochs, such as : What ordering concepts are evident in art presentation ? How contemporary were these presentations in an international context ? What kind of public were they aimed at ?

• Anniversary publication of the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere: a critical homage to a place of art with a diverse history spanning centuries
• Exhibition until January 7, 2024

With contributions from Johanna Aufreiter, Björn Blauensteiner, Brigitte Borchhardt-Birbaumer, Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Christiane Erharter, Nora Fischer, Anna Frasca-Rath, Antoinette Friedenthal, Martin Fritz, Thomas W. Gaehtgens, Sabine Grabner, Katinka Gratzer-Baumgärtner, Cäcilia Henrichs, Alice Hoppe-Harnoncourt, Christian Huemer, Georg Lechner, Stefan Lehner, Gernot Mayer, Monika Mayer, Sabine Plakolm-Forsthuber, Georg Plattner, Matthew Rampley, Luise Reitstätter, Stella Rollig, Claudia Slanar, Franz Smola, Nora Sternfeld, Silvia Tammaro, Wolfgang Ullrich, Leonhard Weidinger, Christian Witt-Dörring, Luisa Ziaja, and Christoph Zuschlag

Stella Rollig has been CEO and artistic director of the Belvedere since January 2017. She studied German and art history at the University of Vienna and later worked as an arts journalist (for ORF, Der Standard, and others). From 1994 to 1996 she was the Austrian Federal Curator for the Fine Arts ; during this time she also founded the discussion platform “Depot, Kunst und Diskussion” at MuseumsQuartier Wien. From 2004 to 2016 she was artistic director of the Lentos Kunstmuseum in Linz, and from 2011 also director of Nordico Stadtmuseum Linz. In addition to her curatorial roles, she has taught at numerous institutions.

Christian Huemer is director of the Belvedere Research Center. He studied art history in Vienna, Paris, and New York, where he gained his doctorate with a thesis titled “Paris — Vienna : Modern Art Markets and the Transmission of Culture (1873–1937).” Curatorial internships at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York were followed by teaching engagements at Hunter College in New York, Sotheby’s Institute of Art in Los Angeles, and the University of Vienna. From 2008 to 2017 he was responsible for developing the Getty Provenance Index^® databases. In this context, he organized research projects and their resulting publications, including “Markt und Macht : Der Kunsthandel im ‘Dritten Reich’” (2017) and “London and the Emergence of a European Art Market, 1780–1820” (2019). He is editor-in-chief for the book series Studies in the History of Collecting & Art Markets and managing editor of the Belvedere Research Journal.