21er Haus Opening
History The 21er Haus was built in 1958 by the Austrian architect Karl Schwanzer (1918-1975) as a pavilion or temporary showroom for the Universal Exhibition in Brussels. The architectural structure of the pavilion seemed to be floating. The building was conceived in the lightweight construction mode, with its upper storey, measuring 40 by 40 metres, resting exclusively on four buttresses. In 1958, Schwanzer received the Grand Prix d’Architecture for his visionary and technologically innovative design. Fritz Wotruba was commissioned with the monumental figural relief to be installed in front of the pavilion. The building served as an exhibition hall for the Museum of Modern Art until its collection was moved to the Museum of Modern Art - Ludwig Foundation in Vienna’s new MuseumsQuartier in late 2001. The 21er Haus was finally incorporated into the Belvedere in the early summer of 2002.
Program The 21er Haus is to be understood as a place of artistic production, reception, and reflection. The focus is on Austrian art of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and its embedding in an international context. The Belvedere’s holdings, which will be given a permanent presence in a specially designated part of the building, will serve as a basis for research and exhibition activities. Relying on the Belvedere’s collection as a starting point, the programme, with its various formats, is meant to build a bridge between the museum’s modern architecture and contemporary art, thereby pursuing multidisciplinary and socially analytical approaches. Thematically focused temporary displays and corresponding monographic positions will concentrate on the numerous and ever more significant interrelationships among artists. (Information: http://www.belvedere.at/house21/en)
The 21er Haus Logo, the communication design and the first publications are created by Christof Nardin/bueronardin, who is also responsible for the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK festival CI. The tradition, the beginning of the 20er Haus and the archtitecture inspired Nardin for the new design identity of the museum.
We are looking forward to this new start and the opening exhibition!