Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Audioguide:
An excellent €4 audioguide is available at the desk in the atrium, just be-
forethemainstaircase.Coveringnearly600items,theaudioguideisworthwhileifyouwant
an in-depth tour.
(See “Kunsthistorisches Museum—First Floor” map,
here
.)
Self-Guided Tour:
The Kunsthistorwhateveritis Museum—let's just say
“Koonst”—houses the family collection of Austria's luxury-loving Habsburg rulers. Their
joie de vivre
is reflected in this collection—some of the most beautiful, sexy, and fun art
from two centuries (c. 1450-1650).At their peak ofpower in the 1500s, the Habsburgs ruled
Austria, Germany, northern Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain—and you'll see a wide variety
of art from all these places and beyond.
The building itself is worth notice—a lavish textbook example of Historicism. Despite
its palatial feel, it was originally designed for the same purpose it serves today: to showcase
its treasures in an inviting space while impressing visitors with the grandeur of the empire.
Of the museum's many exhibits, we'll tour only the Painting Gallery (Gemäldegalerie)
on the first floor. Climb the main staircase, featuring Antonio Canova's statue of
Theseus
Clubbing the Centaur
. Italian, Spanish, and French art is in the right half of the building (as
you face Theseus), and Northern European art is to the left. Notice that the museum labels
the largest rooms with Roman numerals (Saal I, II, III) and the smaller rooms around the
perimeter with Arabic (Rooms 1, 2, 3). The museum is reorganizing its paintings, and the
locations of some works (especially from the Italian Renaissance) may have shifted by the
time you visit.
Venetian Renaissance:
The first gallery (Saal 1) spans the long career of
Titian,
who
painted portraits, Christian Madonnas, and sexy Venuses with equal ease. Next (Saal 2)
comes Paolo
Veronese,
whose colorful works reflect the wealth of Venice, the funnel
through which luxury goods from the exotic East flowed into northern Europe. And
Tintor-
etto
's many portraits (Saal 3) give us a peek at the movers and shakers of the Venetian Em-
pire.
Italian Renaissance and Mannerism:
Rooms 1-4 hold some of the museum's most
important works:
Mantegna
's
St. Sebastian,
Correggio
's
Jupiter and Io,
and
Raphael
's
Madonna of the Meadow (Die Madonna im Grünen),
a geometrically perfect masterpiece of
the High Renaissance, painted when Raphael was just 22.
Farther along, through the small rooms along the far end of this wing (likely Room 7),
findthecleverlydeceptiveportraitsbyGiuseppe
Arcimboldo.
Withapicklenose,pearchin,
and corn-husk ears, Arcimboldo's subject literally is what he eats.
Caravaggio andVelázquez:
Caravaggio (inSaal V)shocked the art worldwith brutally
honest reality. Compared with Raphael's super-sweet
Madonna of the Meadow,
Caravag-
