Heidi Horten Collection Opens New Museum in Vienna

The Heidi Horten Collection has opened its new museum in Vienna, located between the Albertina and the Opera House. The inaugural exhibition, 'Open,' features a selection of works from the collection of the late Austrian collector Heidi Goëss-Horten (1941–2022). Curator Véronique Abpurg explains that the collection began in the 1960s with works by Picasso and Chagall, but expanded significantly after Helmut Horten's death in the 1980s and 1990s under the guidance of museum director Agnes Husslein-Arco. The museum, designed by ENTERprise Architects, occupies the Hanuschhof and features flexible exhibition spaces with movable walls and panoramic balconies. The exhibition is organized thematically rather than chronologically, highlighting neon works by John M. Armleder and Dan Flavin, animal sculptures by Barry Flanagan and François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, and collaborations such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. A site-specific installation by Constantin Luser, 'Vibrosauria,' consists of 25 trumpets that visitors can play. The museum offers free admission on Thursday evenings and free entry for school group chaperones. Future exhibitions include 'Look' in October, focusing on Heidi Horten's haute couture and portraits. The collection is the largest private collection open to the public in Vienna dedicated to 20th- and 21st-century art.