Albertina Vienna Celebrates 250 Years with 'Collecting For The Future'

Key facts

• The Albertina Museum in Vienna celebrates its 250th anniversary (1776–2026) with the exhibition 'Collecting For The Future', running until 11 October 2026.
• The exhibition opens with Albrecht Dürer's 'Feldhase' (1502), displayed publicly only ten times.
• The museum is preparing for 'Dürer 2028', a research project for the 500th anniversary of Dürer's death, with the Louvre, the Met, and the British Museum.
• Maria Christina of Austria is credited as the true founder, with her husband Albert of Saxony.
• The collection's origins trace to July 1776 in Venice, when Count Giacomo Durazzo delivered 10,000 sheets and the 'Discorso Preliminare'.
• During a storm in the North Sea, a ship carrying the ducal treasures sank, but the crates of graphics survived.
• The Albertina acquired works by Caspar David Friedrich before he was famous, including 'View of Arkona with Rising Moon'.
• Max Hollein, director of the Met, contributes to the catalogue, noting the link between the Albertina's founding and the US Declaration of Independence.
• The museum's future strategy 'Kunst Plus' includes the 'Horizon 100 Years' program and the 'Wiederentdeckt!' program for female artists.
• The exhibition concludes with a commissioned multimedia work by Rosa Barba.