vienna may be more famous for opera, philharmonic orchestras and Old Masters, but the Austrian capital is also home to a thriving contemporary art scene.
On the streets and in the outdoor courtyards, amid the Baroque-era statues and ornate Gothic St Stephen’s Cathedral, are multimedia installations made using artificial intelligence and colourful graffiti covering entire buildings by South American and Austrian artists.
There’s a real focus on diversity and female empowerment within this artistic landscape, which is also preoccupied with a sense of responsibility for the planet, a far cry from the intricate, labour-intensive and expensive works more commonly associated with the country’s classical oeuvre.
Here’s how to scratch the surface of it all in just three days.
Day one: MuseumsQuartier and Belvedere 21
First, get a Vienna Pass, which starts at €87 ($95) and is available as a one, two, three and six-day pass, allowing you free entry into more than 70 sights around the city, including its museums.
No trip to Vienna should go without a visit to the city’s MuseumsQuartier, one of the largest contemporary cultural districts in the world, located in Museumsplatz.
The historical architecture was designed by Baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach as the imperial court stables. Today, it’s home to 60 cultural institutions spread over 90,000 square metres, with small passageways that feature public artworks, mini galleries, restaurants and shops, all spanning myriad disciplines from fine art to fashion and theatre to dance.
One of the best places to stop is at mumok, one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in central Europe, home to 10,000 artworks, including those by Andy Warhol, Picasso and Roy Lichtenstein, among many others. But this is temporarily closed for refurbishment until June.
The area is also home to Kunsthalle Wien, the city’s exhibition centre, for international contemporary art and discourse, with a particular focus on social and political context. Elsewhere, the Leopold Collection holds one of the most significant collections of Austrian art in the world, including more than 200 works by Expressionist painter Egon Schiele.
All this intellectualism will no doubt work up an appetite, so it’s worth popping in to Kaan, which serves home-made Levantine cuisine within a Turkish-inspired setting in the museums quarter. Two French architects worked in partnership with Turkish artist Asiye Kolbai-Kafalier, who lives in Vienna, to create the eye-catching patterned tiles that evoke a traditional Istanbul cafe.