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    6 Must-Visit Art Museums in Austria

    From old masters to contemporary art, Austria’s art museums are amongst the best in all of Europe. Whether you’re looking to see ancient artefacts, works by Klimt and Schiele, or discover an unknown contemporary artist, these are six museums you should know about:

    Museum of Fine Arts Vienna
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    1. Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna

    Thanks to the acquisitions by and the patronage of the House of Habsburg, the Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum) in Vienna has an unrivalled collection of old masters, including a vast selection of works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. You will also find Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman Antiquities and Medieval Art housed in this grand Ringstraße building.

    Highlights

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    mumok - the museum of modern arts in Vienna / Vienna
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    2. MUMOK – Museum of Modern Art, Vienna

    Located in a gigantic black basalt cube, the MUMOK Museum of Modern Art in the courtyard of the Viennese MuseumsQuartier shows a vast collection of major 20th century artists – from Picasso to Pollock – as well as changing contemporary exhibitions.

    Highlights:

    • Temporary exhibitions on greats like Andy Warhol
    • The Red Horseman by Roy Lichtenstein
    • Piano by Nam June Paik
    • Works of Vienna Actionism
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    3. Albertina, Vienna

    The Albertina is home to one of the largest and most precious graphic art collections in the world. Today, it comprises nearly 50,000 drawings and one million prints dating from all major epochs from Late Gothic to contemporary. View works by Schiele, Klimt, and Kokoschka, as well as Warhol, Rauschenberg, and Baselitz here.

    Highlights:

    • The Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet
    • The Kite by Marc Chagall
    • Woman in a Green Hat by Pablo Picasso
    • Hare and Praying Hands by Albrecht Dürer
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    The Albertina Museum / Albertina, Vienna
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    Kunsthaus in Graz
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    4. Kunsthaus, Graz (Graz Art Museum)

    The Kunsthaus in Austria’s second city, Graz, attracts visitors not just with its modern art exhibitions, but with its unusual architecture: Opened in 2003, it is said to look like a “friendly alien” in the midst of baroque architecture. With its large, tube-like "nozzles" for windows and its computerized lighting system, it’s a true eye-catcher in Graz's city centre.

    Highlights:

    • The museum's architecture itself - find the nozzle that offers a direct view of the famous clock tower
    • The Cat-Tree for the Arts: a vertical sculpture in the foyer, inhabited by changing artefacts, works of arts, stories and installations
    • Lunch at the museum's stylish café/gastropub
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    Museum of Modern Art Mönchsberg / Museum of Modern Art
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    5. Museum of Modern Art, Salzburg

    Salzburg's museum of modern and contemporary art, the “Museum der Moderne”, sits atop the sheer cliff face of Mönchsberg mountain, 60 metres (197 ft) above Salzburg's historic old town.

    Highlights:

    • The view!
    • Austria's National Photography Collection with around 12,000 titles
    • TAP and TOUCH Cinema by VALIE EXPORT
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    6. Belvedere, Vienna

    The Belvedere in Vienna is not just an art lover's dream, it's also an architectural experience. Housed in two historic palaces set within lovingly manicured gardens, you'll find works by Schiele, Klimt, and Munch.

    Highlights:

    • The Kiss (Lovers), arguably Gustav Klimt's most famous painting
    • Sun Flowers I by Egon Schiele
    • Sugar Bowl and Apples by Paul Cézanne
    • The Plain at Auvers by Vincent van Gogh
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