Good prospects in Vienna’s Schweizergarten

MúzeumCafé 27.

Vienna’s new museum, 21er Haus, opened in Schweizergarten. As a parody of state ceremonial formalities, the Marcus Geiger tied huge red ribbons around the building, giving it the appearance of an enlarged gift box. Thus a more than 100-year-old dream came true – however surprising it may seem, contemporary art was at last presented with a permanent home in the Austrian capital after previously being housed only in temporary venues. The first exhibition of the new museum is entitled Great Prospects. The designation partly refers to the pleasing view from the glass walled building towards the trees in the surrounding park and the Südbanhof, soon to re-open after renovation, and partly translates the word Belvedere. There is also a geographic reference, since 21er Haus is just a few hundred metres from the latter. The new museum promises great prospects for displaying Austrian contemporary art from 1945 to today in an international context, and it is hoped that the new institute will contribute to promoting cultural tourism – all the more so because with the opening of the MuseumsQuartier Austria has not seen such major museum investment in the past ten years. It is no surprise that the museum presents new artistic trends in close connection with social media as a branch of the Belvedere. After all, the Augarten Contemporary which has belonged to the Belvedere was established in 2001 to develop an expressly contemporary art project. The museum is continuing this project by opening the building in Schweizergarten and thus the exhibition area in the Augarten has become available. More precisely, it can continue in a new institutional framework because in 2012 it is being taken over by the Thyssen-Bornemissza Art Contemporary. So while Austrian contemporary art gains a new museum it will actually have two new institutions.