Colossal. Painting On A Grand Scale. Lower Belvedere. Vienna: with works by Hubert Scheibl, Hermann Nitsch, Jakob Gasteiger, Herbert Brandl and others

22 June - 27 August 2023 

It requires confidence, skill, imagination, and courage for an artist to tackle a huge canvas. The results are mostly major works of art: impressive, spectacular but rarely on display due to lack of space. Featuring formats of up to ten meters, this exhibition at the Lower Belvedere showcases colossal paintings from the museum’s collection ranging from the Baroque to the present. A dialogue between contemporary and historical art will reunite audiences with long-absent masterpieces, open up fresh perspectives on well-known artworks while at the same time promising exciting discoveries.  

 

The exhibition features monumental works by artists including Tina Blau, Herbert Brandl, Gunter Damisch, Jakob Gasteiger, Hermann Nitsch, Max Oppenheimer and Hubert Scheibl.

 

Fascinating pictorial worlds, sweeping gestures, romantic landscapes, and monochrome color fields will leave visitors enthralled. An entire room in the show is dedicated to Hans Makart and his opulent history paintings.


Curated by Johanna Hofer and Stella Rollig