Yan Pei Ming's 'Crucifixion' Installed at Vienna's Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere Palace in Vienna, a 17th-century Baroque masterpiece by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt, now houses a contemporary intervention by Chinese artist Yan Pei Ming. Until November 6, the exhibition 'Crucifixion' features a monumental painting of the same name placed behind the altar of the palace chapel, visible only from a third-floor loggia. The work dialogues with the museum's collection spanning from medieval art to the Vienna Secession, including Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss'. Yan Pei Ming, born in Shanghai in 1960 and educated in Dijon and Paris, also presents tiger paintings that engage with Oskar Kokoschka's works and a video featuring the artist himself. This practice of juxtaposing contemporary art with historic settings is seen at other royal residences, such as the Royal Palace of Caserta housing the Terrae Motus collection and Versailles hosting projects by Murakami, Koons, and Eliasson. Yan recently concluded a solo show at Villa Medici in Rome.