VIENNA.- In 2025, visitors can look forward to 21 exhibitions at three locations, as well as numerous publications and projects in the fields of education, mediation, inclusion and research.
General Director Stella Rollig: Our program invites visitors to engage with a rich array of artistic experiences. The multifaceted exhibition program makes art tangible as a bridge between cultures and as a mirror of our times. In 2025, visitors can look forward to exhibitions that showcase historical, modern, and contemporary perspectives, complemented by a vibrant program that meets the interests of various audiences and communities to encourage active participation and inclusion.
Highlights will include The World in Colors: Slovenian Painting 1848-1918, which will explore the dynamic artistic exchange between Vienna and Ljubljana. Joining forces with the National Gallery of Slovenia, the Belvedere will showcase Slovenian painting from the era of national emancipation, spanning from the revolution year of 1848 to the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1918. Radical! Women Artists and Modernism 1910-1950 will create a dialogue among more than sixty women artists from over twenty countries, offering fresh perspectives on the diversity and boundary-pushing dimensions of Modernism. Cézanne, Monet, and Renoir. French Impressionism from Museum Langmatt will feature one of the earliest and most extensive private collections of French Impressionism in Switzerland. The exhibition More than Character Heads will investigate Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s role as an artist at a cultural and political turning point, highlighting his contributions as a pioneer of the so-called “long nineteenth century.”
With the Pigment & Pixel exhibition, the Belvedere will present new perspectives on Gustav Klimt’s working methods and artistic practice based on the latest technological analyses. In the IN-SIGHT exhibition, Gustav Klimt. The Bride, the focus will shift to one of his most monumental paintings.
Solo presentations at Belvedere 21 will feature a range of prominent contemporary artists, including the legendary political conceptual artist Hans Haacke, Austrian feminist and media-critical artist Maria Hahnenkamp, queer-feminist and transgender counterculture pioneer Ashley Hans Scheirl, and British artist Jonathan Monk. Wotruba International will honor the iconic Austrian sculptor by highlighting his international exhibition history, presenting his sculptures alongside key works by contemporaries such as Henry Moore, Alberto Giacometti, Louise Nevelson, and Isamu Noguchi. The exhibition will also delve into key questions surrounding sculpture after 1945. Additionally, the media art festival Civa – Contemporary Immersive Virtual Art will return for its fifth edition with a dynamic mix of discursive formats, film screenings, live performances, and an exhibition.
The exhibition program will be complemented by a wide range of publications, events, workshops, and participatory projects. Free art education programs are aimed specifically at the Viennese audience. Audio guides in 12 languages, new formats and games open up new perspectives on the Belvedere's collection.
SUCCESSFUL YEAR 2024 AND OUTLOOK FOR MAJOR PROJECTS
By the end of the year, 1.5 million visitors are expected in the Upper Belvedere alone, thus surpassing the record set during the anniversary year. We are thrilled to have welcomed more visitors than ever before in 2024, says Wolfgang Bergmann, Chief Financial Officer of the Belvedere. This increase in visitor numbers and the resulting revenue will enable us to enhance the quality of the visitor experience and provide a solid foundation for the Belvedere’s expansion projects in the years ahead.
The groundbreaking ceremony on November 12, 2024, marked the beginning of the Belvedere branch in Salzburg. Following the detailed planning phase, construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2027, with completion expected 18 months later. The Belvedere is not only planning major expansion projects, but is also investing in its ecological transformation. Current efforts are focused on the Belvedere 21, where a newly installed photovoltaic system on the roof of the building will significantly reduce the purchase of electricity. Additionally, preparations are underway to connect the building to the district cooling system.
