ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Kunsthistorisches Museum explores competition in art from antiquity to the modern era

exhibition · 2026-04-27

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna presents 'Idole & Rivalen', an exhibition curated by Gudrun Swoboda that examines the role of competition in art from antiquity to the modern era. The show traces how rivalry, imitation, and emulation have driven artistic progress, drawing on examples from ancient Greece to the Renaissance and beyond. Highlights include a rare loan of Phidias's Wounded Amazon from the Vatican Museums, works by Titian, Tintoretto, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and a painting by Raphaelle Peale that references the ancient contest between Zeuxis and Parrhasius. The exhibition also covers the French Salon system and invites visitors to vote for their favorite works via QR code. Runs until January 8, 2023.

Key facts

  • Exhibition 'Idole & Rivalen' at Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
  • Curated by Gudrun Swoboda
  • Runs until January 8, 2023
  • Includes Phidias's Wounded Amazon on loan from Vatican Museums
  • Features works by Titian, Tintoretto, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphaelle Peale
  • Covers competition from antiquity to modern era
  • Visitors can vote via QR code on ticket
  • Examines imitatio, aemulatio, superatio as driving forces

Entities

Artists

  • Gudrun Swoboda
  • Apelles
  • Zeuxis
  • Parrhasius
  • Raphaelle Peale
  • Luca Giordano
  • Phidias
  • Polykleitos
  • Kresilas
  • Titian
  • Tintoretto
  • Leonardo da Vinci
  • Michelangelo
  • Brunelleschi
  • Ghiberti
  • Giorgio Vasari
  • Benedetto Varchi
  • Benvenuto Cellini
  • Lorenzo Lotto
  • Giovanni Bellini
  • Antonello da Messina
  • Andrea Mantegna
  • Lavinia Fontana
  • Sofonisba Anguissola
  • Jacopo Strada
  • Ottavio Strada
  • Francesco Venier
  • Sebastiano Venier
  • Anthony van Dyck
  • Peter Paul Rubens

Institutions

  • Kunsthistorisches Museum
  • Vatican Museums
  • Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Locations

  • Vienna
  • Austria
  • Kansas City
  • Missouri
  • United States
  • Florence
  • Italy
  • Efesos
  • Turkey
  • Rome
  • Vatican City

Sources