The Albertina Museum, Vienna

 

Archduchess Maria Christina 

Martin van Meytens 

1750

Happy Wednesday, Lovelies!  I wanted to share with you my favorite museum from our trip: The Albertina in Vienna.  The Albertina was the former palace of Archduchess Maria Christina and her husband Prince Albert of Saxony.  Maria Christina's mother was the Empress Maria Theresa of the Holy Roman Empire.  Maria Theresa was an advocate for the education of women, and she encouraged her gifted daughter in her education, especially in the arts and languages (a Jesuit priest tutored her in languages and history).  Born on her mother's twenty-fifth birthday, Maria Christina was her mother's favorite child, and she was the only child allowed to marry for love.  Albert was eventually given a dukedom, and the empress renovated the offices in the palace near the Hofburg Imperial Palace; the empress wanted her favorite child close by.  Maria Christina was a gifted painter, and she painted portraits of the royal family.  Her proud mother displayed her work in the imperial palaces, and some of them are displayed in their summer residence, the Schönbrunn Palace.  

1765 Maria Christina of Austria self portrait

When we visited the Albertina, we first visited the State Rooms.  The rooms have been painstakingly restored, and what fascinated me most was the collection of drawings hanging on the walls in the "Small Spanish Apartment."  Below are some of my favorite drawings.

Albrecht Dürer

A Ninety-Three Year Old Man

1521

Albrecht Dürer

Praying Hands 

1508

Peter Paul Rubens

Susanna Fourment

1620

Peter Paul Rubens

Ruben's Daughter Clara Serena

1623

Thte two photos, above, are of the Hall of Muses.  They were getting ready for an event, so it was hard to get good photos.

The art exhibit we saw was the Monet to Picasso: The Batliner Collection.

Here is a video that showcases some of the art:

Below are my favorite paintings from the exhibit:

Claude Monet

View of Vétheuil

1881

Pierre Bonnard

Grey Nude in Profile

1936

Claude Monet

The Water Lily Pond

1917-1919

Paul Signac

Venice, the Pink Cloud

1909

Paul Signac

The Golden Horn, Mist

1907

Marc Chagall

La Dormeuse aux Fleurs

(The Flower Sleeper)

I'm unsure about the date.

Marc Chagall

The Great Circus

1970

Pablo Picasso

Sleeping Drinker

1902

Théo Van Rysselberghe

Seated Nude

1905

I hope you enjoyed these highlights of the Albertina.  There were other exhibits as well, including a Roy Lichtenstein Centennial Celebration, but we spend too much time at the Monet to Picasso Exhibit, and ran out of time to see any of the others.

Please check back on Friday for a book review, and on Tuesday I'll be participating in a tablescape blog hop.

Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill