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| Wien Museum MUSA | |
|---|---|
| Name | MUSA |
| Native name | Wien Museum MUSA |
| Established | 1998 |
| Location | Vienna, Austria |
| Type | Art museum, Municipal museum |
| Collection size | ca. 30,000 |
| Director | Christoph Thun-Hohenstein |
Wien Museum MUSA Wien Museum MUSA is a municipal museum in Vienna devoted to modern and contemporary Austrian art, graphic design and applied arts. Located near the Rathaus and the MuseumsQuartier, MUSA functions as a branch of the Wien Museum focusing on 20th- and 21st-century collections, temporary exhibitions, and public programs. Its displays connect to histories of Fin de siècle, Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, and postwar Austrian cultural movements.
MUSA opened in the late 1990s as part of an institutional expansion of the Wien Museum to house graphic and applied arts collections previously stored at municipal depots associated with the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Belvedere. The project followed municipal initiatives under the municipal administration led by the City of Vienna and drew on archives from the Austrian State Archives, collections from the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (MAK), and donations linked to families such as the Wiener Werkstätte patrons. Early curatorial leadership engaged with legacies of artists like Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, and designers associated with Josef Hoffmann and Otto Wagner to reframe graphic practices within Viennese modernism. Subsequent expansions responded to municipal cultural policies inspired by European museum reforms championed by institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Modern.
MUSA's holdings include posters, prints, drawings, photographs, and design objects drawn from the municipal collections of Vienna and acquisitions from collectors linked to the Wiener Werkstätte, the Secession, and postwar groups. Notable artists and designers represented in the holdings include Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Alfred Roller, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Anton Kolig, and Max Oppenheimer. The graphic collection comprises works by Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, Rudolf von Alt, Herbert Boeckl, Fritz von Herzmanovsky-Orlando, Heinrich Lefler, and Gustav Klimt contemporaries, alongside photographic series by Trude Fleischmann, Heinrich Kühn, Otto Wacker, and Hugo van Wadenoyen. Design and applied arts entries connect to firms and ateliers such as the Wiener Werkstätte, Julius Tandler collections, and archives related to Österreichische Postsparkasse commissions by Otto Wagner. The museum maintains ephemera from cultural venues like the Volksoper Wien, the Burgtheater, the Raimundtheater, and festivals including the Salzburg Festival.
MUSA stages rotating exhibitions that juxtapose historic graphic works with contemporary practices from artists associated with institutions such as the Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien, the Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, and collaborations with the Albertina Modern. Past exhibitions have featured retrospectives and thematic shows referencing Viennese Modernism, poster design histories connected to the Vienna Secession, and contemporary projects commissioned in partnership with the European Cultural Foundation, the Goethe-Institut, and the British Council. The museum has hosted panels with curators from the Ludwig Museum, the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (MUMOK), and international scholars from the Centre Pompidou and the Henry Moore Institute. Public programs include artist talks, workshops in collaboration with the Wiener Konzerthaus, screening series with the Filmarchiv Austria, and publication projects with the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Housed in a former municipal building near the City Hall (Vienna), MUSA's exhibition spaces are designed for flexible displays of prints, posters, and works on paper, integrating climate control systems consistent with conservation standards endorsed by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The building's proximity to the Rathauspark and integration into the urban fabric links the museum to nearby institutions such as the Museum of Natural History, Vienna and the Kunsthalle Wien. Architectural interventions were guided by municipal preservation regulations and dialogue with conservation bodies including the Austrian Federal Monuments Office (Bundesdenkmalamt). Storage and study rooms support collection management in coordination with the Wiener Stadtbibliothek and digitization initiatives influenced by standards from the Europeana project.
MUSA runs educational programs aimed at school groups from institutions like the Universität Wien partner schools and community organizations including the Volkshochschule Wien. Workshops for children and adults connect to curricula from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and collaborations with the Austrian Museum Association (Österreichischer Museumsbund)]. The museum's outreach extends to projects with the Vienna Museum Service (Wiener Stadtmuseum Service), intercultural initiatives supported by the European Union cultural funds, and residency exchanges with the Internationales Künstlerhaus Villa Concordia and the British Council.
MUSA operates as a branch of the Wien Museum under the auspices of the municipal cultural administration of Vienna. Funding combines municipal budgets approved by the Vienna City Council, project grants from entities such as the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport, sponsorships from cultural foundations like the Austrian Cultural Forum, and private donations coordinated with patrons including banking houses and corporate sponsors historically connected to institutions like the Erste Group and the Raiffeisen Bank. Governance structures include advisory boards with representatives from the Austrian Museum Association, academic partners like the Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, and international liaisons with networks such as the European Museum Forum.
MUSA is located in central Vienna with access via public transit hubs including the Rathaus (Vienna) U-Bahn station and nearby tram lines serving the Ringstraße. Opening hours, ticketing, and accessibility services follow municipal museum standards, offering guided tours, group bookings, and facilities for visitors with mobility needs. The museum shop and publication desk stock catalogues and monographs published in cooperation with presses such as Südwestdeutscher Verlag and the Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. Nearby attractions include the Wiener Rathaus, the Volksgarten, the MuseumsQuartier, and the Austrian Parliament Building.
Category:Museums in Vienna