Photos and the City

Category: Austria

Sankt Ursula

It was super hot when I registered for this Instawalk by the IgersAustria – and visiting the “cold rooms” of the University of Music seemed like a dream. And then there was something about visiting the St. Ursula Church as well – until then I didn´t even know there is one in Vienna. And whenever something bears my name, I have to visit it! And even so, the heatwave is on a break at the moment it´s always nice to get to know new places and “cool rooms”.

From 1666 to 1745 the cloister was built with several yards and spacious buildings. The nuns came to Vienna in 1660 on an invitation of the empress Eleonore and opened a school. The adjoining church was built from 1673 to 1675.

Filled with baroque elements, stucco and some stunning chandeliers. Even so, the convent building was sold to the Republic of Austria in 1960 the church is still in use as a church. But also as a classroom and concert location. Organist Hans Haselböck saw the nuns moving out (to Liesing where their school still exists) and convinced the rector of the University of Music to use the buildings and the church as their Institut of organ music and ecclesiastical music.

A new organ was installed and the rooms adapted for their new use. Do you recognize the city on the painting on the right? It´s a portrait of Vienna!

Our walk had started with a little organ concert by one of the students and after visiting the catacombs and the church we went back to another room and another organ – number 5 by now. It´s the most modern one, built in Vorarlberg with about a thousand pipes.

Big thank you to the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst and the Igersaustria.at!

26/06/2018
WOW! The Heidi Horten Collection

Last week the Leopold Museum & Instagrammers Austria invited us to visit the fabulous Heidi Horten Collection, now shown in the fourth floor (and the lobby).

The exhibition “WOW! The Heidi Horten Collection” is the first public presentation of one of the most impressive European private collections. The presentation at the Leopold Museum fulfils the collector’s long-cherished wish to make the masterpieces meticulously collected by her since the 1990s by artists from Gustav Klimt to Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst accessible to a wide audience. (Leopold Museum)

Heidi Horten started her collection with her late husband Helmut Horten (1909-1987) who was known as the “Kaufhaus König” – even so, the foundation of his department store empire was based on the Aryanization of the “Warenhaus Gebrüder Alsberg” in 1939. After the death of her husband, Horten started to focus on art pieces she enjoyed and artists she loved like Chagall. With the help of the art expert and her friend Agnes Husslein Horten grew her collection to one of the most important European private collection.

In 1996 Horten managed to buy 30 pieces at an auction in London and the rumours of this mysterious collector went around the world.

The collection was developed primarily by being true to the collector’s personal taste, but was also informed by a purposeful focus on relationships between the various categories of works, therefore following a common thread. (Horten Collection)

This inaugural public presentation has its origins in the sense of cultural and political responsibility felt by Heidi Goëss-Horten. The Heidi Horten Collection aims to preserve outstanding works from art history for future generations and to make them available to the public at large. Its foremost goal is to encourage young people through educational programs. (Horten Collection)

It is a beautiful collection, spanning the last 100 years in art history – definitely worth one or more visits, even more as Heidi Horten wanted to open it to a broad public the entry is free every Thursday from 18:00 to 21:00 until the end of the show on July 29th.

WOW! The Heidi Horten Collection

Leopold Museum, Vienna

Until July 29th, 2018.

17/04/2018
Art & Portraits at Donaukanal

For many, many years the Donaukanal, a former arm of the Danube, now a regulated water channel going through Vienna, was more or less ignored – a real Viennese “Gstättn“. A Gstättn means a grassy patch of land in the city, mostly ignored by official city planners (until it´s decided to build something on it).

In the early 1990is, the southern section was transformed into a more recreational area with playgrounds, grass and lots of benches. The section along the first and second district only made it´s revival some years ago, when the first cafés opened and part of the paths gets transformed into beaches during the summer, even a floating swimming pool was opened – and suddenly the former Gstättn became one of Vienna’s hot spots the whole year round. there is always something going on.

Art Collectives working there, street art (it´s actually legal to spray there), boats going to Bratislava, sporty zones, cafés and much much more can be done at the Canal. It´s also a wonderful location to takes pictures and use as a backdrop for portraits and fashion photography. Or take a photo walk with me. Airbnb Experiences now are also available in Vienna, there are quite a few to choose from and one of them is a photo walk along the Donaukanal.

Don´t hesitate to get in contact, if you´re interested in booking your own photo walk in and around Vienna! For more information on the one at Donaukanal have a look at Airbnb!

03/04/2018