The Art of Painting, 1668, by Johannes Vermeer (Kunsthistorisches Museum)
Though Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum opened its doors to the public in 1891—later than some of the other major museums of Europe—its origins go back to the late Renaissance and the collections of rare and exotic natural and man-made objects assembled by various members of the House of Habsburg. Descendants of these early collectors expanded their interests, acquiring paintings by some of Europe’s most admired Old Masters, ranging from Raphael and Titian to Bruegel, Vermeer, and Velazquez. Together, these collections comprise one of Europe’s greatest artistic treasures.
Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine traces the evolution of this eminent institution and considers some of the masterworks housed within it.
9:30–10:45 a.m. The Cabinets of Wonder
The origins of the Kunsthistorisches Museum as embodied by a set of 20 galleries—a kind of “museum within museum” filled with decorative objects in a variety of media, from superbly carved ivory statuettes to bejeweled reliquaries. This part of the museum, known as the Kunstkammer (cabinet of art), represents the best collection of its kind in the world.
11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Time Captured in Stone: From Antiquity to the Renaissance
Highlights of the sculpture collection, which spans more than three millennia and includes Greek and Roman statuary, antique cameos, sarcophagi and mosaics, as well as medieval and Renaissance sculptures of devotional and secular character.
12:15–1:30 p.m. Viennese-themed lunch
1:30–2:45 p.m. The Picture Gallery: Italy
Some of the great masterpieces of Italian art in the collection, whose foundations are rooted in the 17th century. Works include paintings by Mantegna, Raphael, Giorgione, Titian, and Veronese.
3–4:15 p.m. The Picture Gallery: Brueghel to Vermeer
An examination of the masterpieces of northern European art, from Durer’s Venetian Beauty and Bruegel’s Tower of Babel to Vermeer’s Art of Painting.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1 credit
Other Connections
A short video about the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Museum Hours, 2013, trailer.
