080048 EX Viennese Art: Dom Museum Wien Backstage (2025S)

The goal of this course is to gain insight into the diversity of museum work (collecting, preserving, researching, exhibiting, mediating, and communicating) through continuous engagement with the newly conceptualized Dom Museum Vienna (established in 2017 and awarded the Austrian Museum Prize in 2020) and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Students will explore the considerations behind a museum's re-conceptualization and the steps needed for implementation.
The course also involves direct interaction with original works from the museum's extensive collections. Students will study artworks spanning from the Middle Ages to contemporary times, documenting their findings through presentations and short texts in various formats. Key works include the portrait of Rudolf IV, the first three-quarter view portrait in the Western world (circa 1365), and the tomb of Emperor Frederick III (1415–1493) in St. Stephen's Cathedral. Additionally, they will examine post-war avant-garde positions, such as works by Maria Lassnig, Arnulf Rainer, Bruno Gironcoli, and Kiki Kogelnik from the Otto Mauer collection, a major supporter of Austria's art scene post-1945.
A significant portion of the course will take place within the special exhibition "In The Spirit of Friendship," which examines artistic engagement with friendship as a fundamental human need. Its universal significance, whether on a personal or socio-political level, makes it a recurring theme in artistic exploration. Artworks from various eras will be available for in-depth study, ranging from Gothic Visitation groups and Rococo festive scenes to contemporary works by Gelatin or Maruša Sagadin. Students will also gain insights into curatorial practices involved in such thematic exhibitions.
A central aspect of the course is working with original artworks, practicing verbal articulation of observations, and developing presentation techniques for discussing art in museums and with the public.