{"id":82954,"date":"2025-05-04T14:42:40","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T13:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=82954"},"modified":"2025-10-17T10:12:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T09:12:40","slug":"wigand-alt-olah-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/wigand-alt-olah-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Wigand &#8211; Alt &#8211; Ol\u00e1h 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\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolahsmall.jpg\" alt=\"Exhibition sign\" class=\"wp-image-82950\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolahsmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolahsmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Enjoy &#8220;then, later, and now&#8221; views of Vienna wrapped up as watercolours and photographs from three accomplished masters of their art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Small <em>Focus<\/em> exhibition at the Heidi Horten Collection<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Early to late 19th century views and today&#8217;s city<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Miniatures by Balthasar Wigand<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watercolours by Rudolf von Alt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Photos by Stefan Ol\u00e1h<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs Apr 30 &#8211; Oct 15, 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/heidi-horten-collection\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"47637\">Heidi Horten Collection overview<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"37363\">Art &amp; photo exhibitions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vienna, Vienna, Only You<\/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\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo and watercolour in an exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-82952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah1-300x200.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\">(View of the exhibition with works by all three artists; press photo courtesy of the Heidi Horten Collection)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Normally, I don&#8217;t report on the smaller exhibitions at the main museums and venues. There&#8217;s only one of me and a lot of Vienna. Plus those cakes won&#8217;t eat themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I make an exception for the <em>Vienna, Vienna, Only You<\/em> exhibition at the Heidi Horten Collection, as it&#8217;s one after my own heart: a double dose of Viennese and artistic goodness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition features three artists separated by time but united by a common theme: images of Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So we have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Balthasar Wigand (1770-1846), who really ought to be a character in a Dickens novel, but who painted gorgeous miniature watercolours of the Viennese cityscape<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Popular with the growing middle class, Wigand&#8217;s works were often embedded in decorative boxes and caskets with mother-of-pearl inlays.<\/p>\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\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah2.jpg\" alt=\"Sewing box with miniature watercolours\" class=\"wp-image-82955\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah2-300x200.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\">(Balthasar Wigand, Sewing box from around 1820; press photo courtesy of the Heidi Horten Collection)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rudolf von Alt (1812-1905), a renowned watercolour artist of his time, as emphasised by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/alt-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"52806\">recent exhibition<\/a> at the Albertina<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Von Alt is best known for his extraordinary renditions of landscapes and urban views. His works set an artistic standard, but also served a documentary purpose: capturing the sights of the capital and elsewhere for posterity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stefan Ol\u00e1h (b. 1971), a contemporary photographer and photographic artist with architecture and living spaces one of the key threads in his work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Ol\u00e1h has recently directed his lens at those very places recorded by Wigand and von Alt, thus gifting us the third leg of a triple snapshot of Vienna: from classic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/biedermeier-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"81696\">Biedermeier times<\/a>, through a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/wiener-moderne\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28303\">city of change<\/a> and urbanisation, to today&#8217;s metropolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By presenting the works of all three, we have both a historical comparison and an artistic one.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah3.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a historical landmark\" class=\"wp-image-82956\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah3.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wigandaltolah3-300x240.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Stefan Ol\u00e1h, Spinnerin am Kreuz, 2024; the Spinnerin was once out in the country with Vienna in the distant background; press photo courtesy of the Heidi Horten Collection)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Then and now&#8221; images of Vienna have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/historical-photos\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"10518\">their own fascination<\/a> when they reveal what&#8217;s changed (and what hasn&#8217;t).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wigand&#8217;s embedded miniatures, five von Alt watercolours and 11 large-format photos by Ol\u00e1h also highlight how an artistic genre or style affects perception, and how skills and technological progress impact pictorial documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the real treat is those comparisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, for example, we see von Alt&#8217;s paintings of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/stefansdom\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"294\">Stephansdom<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/karlskirche\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22144\">Karlskirche<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1672\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn<\/a> juxtaposed with Ol\u00e1h&#8217;s photos of the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or a Wigand miniature of the 1492 Spinnerin am Kreuz monument, which more or less marked the point where Vienna came into view from the south. Ol\u00e1h&#8217;s 21st-century update reveals, well, let us just say a rather different landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Dates, tickets &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy Vienna through time from April 30th to October 15th, 2025. An entrance ticket for or from the Heidi Horten Collection includes the permanent and special exhibitions within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Wigand&#8217;s cityscapes appeal, be sure to also pop into the Heidi Horten Collection&#8217;s &#8220;tea room&#8221;; c.40 caskets and similar featuring his work from Christian Kuhn&#8217;s private collection are on display there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The large <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/biedermeier-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"81696\">Biedermeier exhibition<\/a> over at the Leopold Museum (until July 27th, 2025) also has numerous painted landscapes and scenes from that era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you walk around historical Vienna (for example, using my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/transport\/walking-tour\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"50322\">suggested walking route<\/a>), you can even create your own &#8220;then and now&#8221; experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/sammlung.wienmuseum.at\/en\/\">digital collection<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/vienna-museums\/wien-museum\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"26812\">Wien Museum<\/a> includes a vast number of historical photos, prints, and paintings of streets and sights. So wherever you find yourself, search the collection for the location, and you might find a similar view from centuries past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wien Museum <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/wien-museum-karlsplatz\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"66174\">permanent exhibition on Karlsplatz<\/a> also has numerous paintings and models of historical Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get there<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow the travel tips on my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/heidi-horten-collection\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"47637\">main overview page<\/a> for the Heidi Horten Collection. It&#8217;s located right in the centre, close to Karlsplatz subway station and the Burgring tram stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Hanuschgasse 3, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1asmHlbVpicbQLt1557vf6l4l0zQ\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enjoy views of Vienna through time wrapped up as watercolours and photographs from three accomplished masters of their art<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":82950,"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-82954","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\/82954","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=82954"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86449,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82954\/revisions\/86449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}