The Upper Belvedere, ©Jonathan Turton, 2026
Timed tickets (bought earlier that morning) for the win. Jumping the queue, when the queue is standing in 40C temperatures, brought a certain joy. Once inside though, the crowds were clumpy as people moved from one famous work of art to another. Klimt’s The Kiss is the most famous work on display. Full confession: I’m not a massive fan of The Kiss. Some ubiquitous works are redeemed when seen in the flesh, but while the vibrancy of the gold arrests, Art Nouveau was never my favourite and there’s something about the composition of the figures that makes me uncomfortable (also: I’ve seen it before – donkey’s years ago in Zurich). Judith is a better painting.
Klimt v Schiele is an interesting way to tackle some of the rooms – two Austrian greats who seem to be from different eras stylistically but who knew each other well – Klimt mentoring Schiele. Lego is yet to release a Schiele set though, whereas the just-released Lego The Kiss, was all over the gift shop.
detail from Martin van Meytens the Younger’s “The Family of Count Nikolaus Pálffy of Erdőd”. Photo ©Jonathan Turton, 2026
Bouncing past David’s magnificent Napoleon (very popular with the “photograph every famous painting” crowd), the delight of the collection was not Monet’s expressive “The Chef”, or the personally apt “Arrival of a Train at Vienna Northwestern Station” by Karl Karger, or even the scene-stealing dog in the bottom corner of Martin van Meytens the Younger’s “The Family of Count Nikolaus Pálffy of Erdőd” (breathe). No, the delight is the collection of “Character Heads” by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt. The exaggerated features of these self-portrait sculptures are engrossing, funny and weird in equal measure. Adding to the delight, the room they were in was empty.
A significant European collection, but try and go when it’s quieter 7/10