{"id":61324,"date":"2023-06-20T15:16:31","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T14:16:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=61324"},"modified":"2025-07-14T17:10:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T16:10:15","slug":"maria-austria-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/maria-austria-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Maria Austria photo exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustriasmall.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustriasmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustriasmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>A woman of courage and creativity. An exhibition at the Jewish Museum showcases the work of photographer Maria Austria (1915-1975): her first solo exhibition in the country she shares her name with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Renowned documentary, portrait and theatre photographer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Also worked for the resistance in WWII<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exhibition covers a lifetime of photos<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs June 21, 2023 &#8211; Jan 14, 2024<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/jewish-museum\/\">Jewish Museum overview<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/#photography\">photo exhibitions<\/a> in Vienna<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A photographer in exile<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria1.jpg\" alt=\"View of the Maria Austria exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-61299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Exhibition view; press photo \u00a9 David Bohmann)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maria Austria was born as Marie Oestreicher into a German-speaking Jewish family in Karlovy Vary (then part of the Austria-Hungary empire) in 1915 and trained in photography in Vienna. She left for the Netherlands in 1937 to join her sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That departure echoed the stories of so many of the time: human talent and potential leaving the country due to the growing anti-semitism that would soon lead to the unimaginable horrors of the Shoah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After WWII (part of which she spent in hiding working for the resistance), Austria built a long, successful and influential career &#8220;in exile&#8221; in her adopted country as a documentary photographer with an eye for realism and social commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Austria also enjoyed lasting influence as a portrait and theater photographer. Her impact was such that prestigious institutions like New York&#8217;s Museum of Modern Art exhibited her work (in 1953&#8217;s <em>Postwar European Photography<\/em>) and such locations as Amsterdam&#8217;s Rijksmuseum own photos by her.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria2.jpg\" alt=\"Photo by Maria Austria of the stairs in the Anne Frank House\" class=\"wp-image-61300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria2.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria2-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Stairs leading to the hiding place. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, 1954; press photo \u00a9 Maria Austria \/ Maria Austria Institute, Amsterdam)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given the above, a solo exhibition for Austria&#8217;s work seems long overdue in the country she once called home. Step forward the Jewish Museum with <em>Focus! Click! Maria Austria &#8211; Photographer in Exile<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition takes us through the full gamut of Austria&#8217;s photographic work, beginning with her freelance efforts in 1930s Vienna through to the final years as, for example, in-house photographer of Amsterdam&#8217;s Mickery Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Austria&#8217;s preferred subjects and the genesis of her style become apparent in that early work. For example, a photo of workers at a tar-making machine in Karlovy Vary hint at a feel for social realism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The modern approach to composition and strong use of light and dark would evolve into a love of contrast that becomes particularly notable in the theatre photos from the end of her career.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"379\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria3.jpg\" alt=\"Ellen Edinoff in Cantos. Mickery Theater, photographed by Maria Austria\" class=\"wp-image-61301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria3.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/mariaaustria3-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Ellen Edinoff in Cantos. Mickery Theater, Amsterdam 1972; press photo \u00a9 Helly Oestreicher)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from the demonstration of talent and an artistic evolution, the exhibition also includes numerous photos that simply offer an intriguing sojourn through time and topics. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A photo of marching German soldiers in Amsterdam taken secretly from Austria&#8217;s hiding place in 1944<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Various photos from the 1954 <em>Het Achterhuis<\/em> series covering Anne Frank&#8217;s hiding place<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These perhaps represent Austria&#8217;s most resonant work: photos of places mentioned in Anne Frank&#8217;s diary on behalf of a planned US stage production. (We also see photos of the filming of the 1959 movie <em>The Diary of Anne Frank<\/em>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shots of life in Amsterdam immediately after the war. Or 1960 Vienna. Or 1965 Israel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I confess an instant love for the 1950 photo <em>Street Scene with a Cow<\/em>. A cow who clearly refuses to conform to expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Numerous portraits, including such international personalities as Peter Ustinov (1948), Leonard Bernstein (1950), Josephine Baker (1970) and even Oskar Kokoschka (snapped by chance in Salzburg in 1955)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition ends with photos of plays and other performances; photos that revolutionised Dutch theatrical photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, Austria&#8217;s photos veer into art as she avoids the traditional static capture of scenes in favour of movement, contrast and experiments with focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that final section has a surprise photo bonus for fans of <em>Dr Who<\/em> or <em>The Hobbit<\/em> films, too: <em>An Evening with Sylvester McCoy<\/em> taken in 1971 at the Mickey Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Dates, tickets &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Go on a photographic and historical journey with Maria Austria from June 21st, 2023 to January 14th, 2024. An entrance ticket from or for the Jewish Museum includes this special exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The dates intersect with two other solo exhibitions at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/albertina\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2995\">Albertina Museum<\/a> with considerable photographic work on display: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/valie-export-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"61405\">VALIE EXPORT<\/a> (ends October 1st, 2023) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/joel-sternfeld-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"62590\">Joel Sternfeld<\/a> (ends April 28th, 2024). And September normally sees a special World Press Photo exhibition move into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/westlicht\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"42396\">Westlicht<\/a> gallery and camera museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get there<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow the travel tips for the main Dorotheergasse site on the Jewish Museum <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/jewish-vienna\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"25806\">overview page<\/a>. Find the photos in the special exhibition gallery space up one floor from the entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Dorotheergasse 11, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1kuTU0C-76Mhn7ArHvQRPPPNUQ_y5QnDH\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A woman of courage and creativity. An exhibition at the Jewish Museum showcases the work of photographer Maria Austria<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-61324","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-museums","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61324"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84641,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61324\/revisions\/84641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}