The Belvedere is the home of art
Completed in 1723, the building commissioned by Eugene of Savoy celebrates the tercentenary of its construction
It is a historical-artistic exhibition that immerses itself in the history of the Belvedere on the occasion of the tercentenary of its construction, completed in 1723 to a design by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt. Its initiator was Eugene of Savoy, a legendary leader who had defeated the Turks, driving them out of Vienna, and a refined collector. From 2 December to 7 January 2024 in the Limonaia the exhibition «Il Belvedere. A place of art for 300 years» traces the events of the residence, emphasizing its role as a museum open free to the public since 1777.
The previous year Maria Teresa, who had bought the palace in 1756, decided together with her son Giuseppe II to transfer the imperial art collections, by now too large to find space in official residences: «An innovative aspect was to exhibit the works in accordance with the teachings of the Enlightenment, according to artistic movements and schools», explains the curator Georg Lechner, who indicates in the «Allegory» by Vinzenz Fischer of 1781 a key work of the exhibition, given that it thematises the transfer of the court collections to the Belvedere: «Here Fischer shows the goddess Minerva indicating the Upper Belvedere to Joseph II, while a group of putti transport the works to the new home».
Among the most valuable works on display is also «A little fisherman» by Friedrich von Amerling: «In 1827, Emperor Francis I ordered the funds dedicated to court purchases to be allocated to contemporary works, and since then they have opted for works by young people exhibited in the exhibitions of the Academy of Fine Arts. Amerling’s work was acquired in the year same as its creation, 1830» concludes Lechner. The exhibition also illuminates the Nazi looting that saw Belvedere as an active collaborator, as well as the post-war restitution chapter.
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Vienna
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Belvedere
Prinz Eugen-Strasse 27 | +43 1795570
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The Belvedere. Place of art for 300 years
From 2 December 2022 to 7 January 2024
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