«A New Gem» in Vienna’s museum scene – The Heidi Horten Collection
Situated in the center of Vienna – just off the usual tourist-tracks – between the Vienna State Opera and the Albertina lies in a courtyard called “Hanuschhof”, the recently opened private museum the “Heidi Horten Collection”.
Heidi Horten Collection. Photo: Rupert Steiner, © Heidi Horten Collection
From the outside the pale yellow, former historical building, appears smaller than the inside with its open vast two floors of exhibition space, a cabinet room ideally for works on paper and a cozy, artistically designed tea-room commissioned by the collector.
Tea Room / Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com / Manuel Carreon Lopez
Heidi Horten Collection. Photo: Rupert Steiner, © Heidi Horten Collection
Under the roof, on the last floor, there are the offices and a little roof-top terrace for the employees.
Good to know that for children and adolescents the museum offers free entry up to the age of 19.
Heidi Horten Collection. Photo: Rupert Steiner, © Heidi Horten Collection
The building inside was undertaken a complete renovation which took about 2 years, by renown Austrian architects couple - “the next ENTERprise” Marie-Therese Harnoncourt – Fuchs and Ernst J. Fuchs - by taking down almost all interior walls and keeping the historical façade. The large hanging staircase inside widens the space of the building and the glass roof allows the visitor an “airy” atmosphere in the museum. The green lawn in front of the building serves as a small outdoor sculpture space. The inside exhibition space is about 1.500 qm2 and the outdoor space including the public little sculpture garden is about 500 qm2.
Heidi Goëss-Horten and Agnes Husslein-Arco, 2018, Photo: Andreas Tischler, © Heidi Horten Collection
The motivation for Countess Goëss-Horten to build her own museum relies in the enormous success when she exhibited a large number of her collections in 2018 at the Leopold Museum in Vienna. Surely, she has loaned up and then works to national and international museum exhibitions. But for the first time she selected together with Dr. Agnes Husslein-Arco, the curator of the exhibition “WOW” about 170 highlights out of her collection with works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, German Expressionists up to Lucio Fontana, Cy Twombly or Keith Haring and contemporary artists such as Julian Schnabel, Georg Baselitz or George Condo - spanning around 100 years of art history.
Nearly 500.000 visitors from all parts of the world came to visit this exhibition.
The inaugural exhibition “OPEN” (until October 2nd 2022) is a selection of works starting from international post war and pop artists such as Lucio Fontana, Andy Warhol or Robert Rauschenberg to international, also younger contemporary video artists like French artist Lilli Reynaud-Dewar or Austrian artist Philipp Timischl.
Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com/Manuel Carreon Lopez
In the entry hall there is a huge installation, called “Vibrosaurier” by Austrian artist Constantin Luser. The commissioned sculpture is made out of 25 brass and silver music instruments - 1 tuba, 4 trumpets, 20 horns - which can be used actually to make music.
On one wall next to a green “Concetto Spaziale” by Lucio Fontana, there is a light sculpture by John Armleder which was part before of the Olbricht Collection, Berlin.
In the center of the hall a huge black monkey “Singe Avisé” by Francois- Xavier Lalanne is carefully watching, who is entering the museum.
Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com/Manuel Carreon Lopez
On the upper floor you will find a selection of art works under the subject: Nature, Human, Animals - reflecting and engaging with the physical outside and the spiritual inner world and its relationships to animals and nature. Specially “Animals” is representing one of the collectors major passion.
Sculptures by artists Claude and Xavier- Francois Lalanne or Damian Hirst’s “Butterflies” are installed as well as a huge violet pig “UR Mutter” by German artist Lena Henke.
Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com/Manuel Carreon Lopez
On that floor there is also the “Cabinet Room” to be found where the visitor will find works under the subject “Light and Language” by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alighieri Boetti, Joseph Kosuth, as well as installations placed in corners and mounted on walls by Brigitte Kowanz, Dan Flavin or Tim Noble and Sue Webster.
Tea Room / Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com / Manuel Carreon Lopez
Tea Room / Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com / Manuel Carreon Lopez
In this 2nd floor there is the tea-room, an intimate place which was commissioned by the collector at two Austrian artists and which invites to view another passion of the museum’s founder: artifacts and artisanal jewelry.
The interior of chairs, small tables, lamps and showcases are designed by Markus Schinwald and the ceiling is covered by an aluminum work – resembling crushed fabric - by Hans Kupelwieser.
Tea Room / Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com / Manuel Carreon Lopez
The restroom area was as well commissioned at Austrian artist Andreas Duscha who works with photographs on mirrors accompanied by sound.
Sculpture Garden, sculptures by Barry Flanagan / Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com / Manuel Carreon Lopez
Sculpture Garden, sculptures by Barry Flanagan / Exhibition view OPEN, Heidi Horten Collection, 2022, Photo: © kunst-dokumentation.com / Manuel Carreon Lopez
Last but not least: in the front of the building’s small sculpture garden, two bronzes by Barry Flanagan are installed: “The Thinker” an homage to Auguste Rodin and an homage to the famed Ballet Russe Dancer “Vaclav Nijiinskij”.
Heidi Goëss-Horten in front of a work by Francis Bacon, 2019. Foto: Ouriel Morgensztern, © Heidi Horten Collection
Sadly enough, after the great opening to the public in early June 2022, the founder Heidi Goëss-Horten at an age of 81, passed away mid June 2022. It was her personal wish and decision that this private museum was coming to live. Heidi Goëss-Horten created her personal foundation to guarantee that this museum will stay entirely private for generations. Also, she was involved in numerous charitable activities which continue to be supported by her foundation as well. Under the reign of the director, Dr. Agnes Husslein – Arco and with the museum team, the founder’s spirit will be kept alive.
Title image: Heidi Horten Collection. Photo: Rupert Steiner, © Heidi Horten Collection
