The collection

The Belvedere’s collection encompasses several thousand masterpieces from eight centuries of art history, ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day. Its focus on Austrian art is complemented by works of international renowned artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Auguste Rodin. A representative selection can be seen in the displays at the Upper Belvedere, including the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings – featuring legendary pieces from his golden period such as The Kiss (Lovers) and Judith – as well as the inimitable “Character Heads” of Franz Xaver Messerschmidt and key works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. While the Upper Belvedere became one of the first public museums in the world during the reign of Maria Theresa, the Lower Belvedere has been a museum since 1903, known then as the Moderne Galerie. To this day, innovative temporary exhibitions and retrospectives are presented here and in the Orangery, where works from the Belvedere collection are shown in various fascinating contexts – international, art-historical, and contemporary.

Gustav Klimt, Judith 1901 © Belvedere, Wien

Claude Monet, Le Père Paul 1882 © Belvedere, Wien

Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon am großen St. Bernhard 1801 © Belvedere, Wien

Aside from housing the world’s largest collection of paintings by Klimt, the museum’s holdings also include works by Monet, Jacques-Louis David and Giovanni Segantini. The collection spans from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller,

Am Fronleichnamsmorgen 1857 © Belvedere, Wien

Giovanni Segantini, Die bösen Mütter 1894 © Belvedere, Wien

Carry Hauser, Nächtlicher Wanderer 1920 © Belvedere, Wien