Jutting out of an Austrian hillside, the physical presence of Museum Liaunig alone merits a visit. Like the best artworks, however, what you see at a first glance is only a first impression that draws you nearer. If you spend more time with it, really enter it, you’ll discover so much more. In the case of Museum Liaunig you’ll discover that what you see from outside is only one gallery space, and when you really enter it, you’ll find approximately 5000 square meters of mostly subterranean exhibitions spaces displaying an impressive collection of Austrian post-war art. It’s not just the full collection that shows off Austria’s creative forces; as a project of Austrian architecture firm querkraft, the building as well as everything in it can proudly boast for local talent.
Although all artworks housed in the collection are post-war era, this year sees the first half of an exhibition dedicated to the museum’s contemporary (and recent enough to still just squeak by with being called contemporary) acquisitions. Reality and Abstraction I – figurative and expressive concepts from 1980 until today, which conerns itself with expressive-gestural tendencies in painting, sculpture and graphics, will be followed up next year with part II, which will focus more on concrete and reductive positions.
For full disclosure and honesty’s sake, 350 square meters of the museum aren’t dedicated to Austrian art, but when it’s something you see this rarely, the breach of curatorial consistency can be forgiven! The Akan Gold Collection displays around 600 pieces of jewelry and cult objects from the African tribal kingdoms of Ashanti, Baule, and Fante. Predominately 19th and 20th Century, this collection is directly accessible from the museum’s main area and is one of the world’s largest of this kind of art.
Ready to plan your visit? Tours of Museum Liaunig – they’re by appointment only, so don’t forget to schedule that on their website under the “contact” section – are available until October 30th this year. If you can tear yourself away from the turquoise waters of Wörthersee, it’s a perfect day trip while staying at the Aenea Hotel. At just a 1-hour drive away, you’ll be back with plenty of time to enjoy the panoramic pool before the gourmet dinner is served on the heated terrace. Now, if that doesn’t sound like a perfect day, maybe it’s time to have your pulse checked.
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