Featured Events in Vienna in May, 2025 (May Updated)

In ihrer rohen, wilden Form und dennoch als Teufel erkennbar, nehmen Sarah Ortmeyers Skulpturen DIABOLUS (PROTECTOR) den Carlone-Saal und das Belvedere ein. Inmitten der epochenübergreifenden Sammlung werden diese wesenhaften Schutzteufel zu zeitlosen und weltumspannenden Schatten im Widerstand gegen das Generische.

24 of Klimt's paintings are at the heart of Vienna's Belvedere collection, including masterpieces such as The Kiss and Judith. In the early 20th century, Klimt was commissioned to paint the magnificent dome for the Festival Hall of the University of Vienna. The "Academic Paintings" he created caused great controversy with their unidealized allegorical figures, unfamiliar symbols and shocking erotic elements. Unfortunately, the originals are now lost and only black and white photographs remain. This year, the Belvedere Museum in Vienna has partnered with Google to use artificial intelligence and imaging technology to reveal the original colors of the reconstructed works, providing the world with a new perspective on this greatest Austrian artist.

To mark the 200th anniversary of Johann Strauss's birth, the Theatermuseum in Vienna is opening its doors to a unique exhibition about the Waltz King. This show offers you the perfect opportunity to experience the splendor of the Strauss era in the city that made his music a world sensation.

Hans Haacke (* 1936) is a legend of political conceptual art – at the same time, his work is highly topical and of great relevance today. As a founding figure of artistic institutional critique, Haacke redefined the relationship between art and society and influenced generations of artists. From the 1960s onward, Hans Haacke first reflected on biological, physical, and ecological systems, then turned his attention to sociopolitical structures and subjected them to a precise, often ruthless analysis. He thus addressed the abuse of power, mechanisms of exclusion and inequality, historical-political distortions, the entanglements of public institutions, politics, and economics, and, last but not least, anti-democratic tendencies. The exhibition invites you to rediscover the relevance of Hans Haacke's art and to grasp its significance for pressing questions of our time: How do capital, ideology, and history influence us? What images, rhetorics, and manipulative strategies does nationalist populism employ? What about the complicity of the art field, but also the critical potential of art? The retrospective illuminates the versatility of this work in a comprehensive selection from all creative periods from 1959 to the present. In addition to numerous iconic works, it also includes those projects that Hans Haacke developed specifically for the Austrian context.

In its spring exhibition, the Kunsthistorisches Museum presents masterpieces by Pieter Bruegel d. E., Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Jacopo and Leandro Bassano as well as other outstanding artists of the 16th century. century. The focus is on the question of the interplay between humans, nature and time – a topic that is relevant then as now.

In its 29th edition, the special presentation Point of View, which regularly presents different artworks temporarily in the permanent exhibition of the Picture Gallery of the Kunsthistorische Museum, focuses on a masterful portrait of the nine-month-old Princess Maria Teresa of Naples and Sicily, allowing visitors to explore the work of the court painters Anton Raphael Mengs and Diego Velázquez. In 1770, Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779), the celebrated court painter to King Charles III of Spain, returned to Italy to relax and at the same time to create portraits on behalf of his employer: in Naples he was to portray, among others, the family of King Ferdinand IV and his wife Maria Carolina of Austria. A highlight of this work can be seen as the now freshly restored portrait of Marie-Therese of Bourbon-Sicily, which shows the royal couple's first-born daughter. The portrait of the approximately nine-month-old princess impresses with its artistic sophistication. With it, Mengs created a work that combines traditional representation with a new naturalness and liveliness. The picture thus reflects a changed conception of childhood that became widespread in the 18th century - influenced by the educational ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, which Maria Carolina particularly valued.

In cooperation with the National Gallery of Slovenia, the Belvedere is presenting the highlights of Slovenian painting from the era of national emancipation, from the revolutionary year of 1848 to the collapse of the Danube Monarchy in 1918. The exhibition focuses on the central characteristic of local painterly approaches of this period: the intensive preoccupation with color. The study of its decorative effect, symbolism, expressiveness, and technical application was rarely as central to artistic movements as it was in Slovenian painting around 1900. Following the outstanding painter of the Vormärz period, Jožef Tominc, fascinating figures such as Jožef Petkovšek and Ivana Kobilca achieved their breakthrough in the second half of the 19th century. Around the turn of the century, the group of so-called Slovenian Impressionists, around Rihard Jakopič, Ivan Grohar, Matija Jama, and Matej Sternen, established itself. Their style shaped Slovenian art until 1918 and beyond. The exhibition particularly focuses on the ambivalent relationship between Slovenian artists and Austria and the capital, Vienna. Several artists studied or lived temporarily in Vienna, Graz, or Lower Austria. This ambivalence was characterized by a sense of latent exclusion and simultaneous dependence on state funding. Numerous documents from the Belvedere archive shed new, differentiated light on the cultural-political connections between Vienna and Ljubljana.

From February 2025, the Kunsthistorisches Museum will be dedicating an exhibition to the now largely forgotten artist Daniel Neuberger (1621-1680) and his impressive art of deception. This will be the first time ever he is honoured with a retrospective exhibition. Daniel Neuberger and the Art of deception demonstrates the master's virtuosity in sculpting with wax and imitating a wide variety of materials and surfaces. His artworks, frequently measuring no more than a few centimetres, were highly sought-after all over Europe and still impress today with their eye-deceiving illusionism.

The aim of the exhibition is to emphasize the role of the medal as an object of art. Moreover, it will illuminate how the role of artists developed from the universal genius of the Renaissance and early Baroque to specialists for separate genres of the arts during the later years of the monarchy. The exhibition Imperial Impressions is dedicated to artists who were active at Habsburg courts and residences. It focuses on masters who were at ease in several genres of the arts, such as architecture, painting, and sculpture. It is the fact that they also made medals that warranted their inclusion in this exhibition, however. As the objects on display were mostly produced for members of the imperial family, they were of the highest quality. The period of the presented artists ranges from around 1500 to the end of the monarchy in 1918. The exhibition will show significant medals and provide in-depth context. The presentation of renowned works together with exceptional works from the field of medal-making art introduces visitors to a new, unusual viewpoint at familiar objects from the collection. The exhibition comprises about eighty works: medals, coins, paintings, gemstones, ivory and goldsmithery. Most object stem from the museum’s own collection, complemented by loans from the Numismatic Collection at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and from the Tyrolean Landesmuseen.

The New York Times has called Matthew Wong »one of the most talented painters of his generation.« This Chinese-Canadian artist straddled the frontier between Far-Eastern and Western art and was influenced equally by van Gogh and Shitao, both of whom significantly figured in his individual development. Wong, who committed suicide at age 35, was an autodidact who came late to art: his impressive oeuvre arose during a brief period encompassing his final eight years of life. The artist engaged with modernist stances as well as with varieties of expressive art produced by his contemporaries. This exhibition is conceived as a juxtaposition of around 44 paintings and 12 works on paper by Wong with selected works by van Gogh. It is being mounted in cooperation with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Kunsthaus Zürich, and the Matthew Wong Foundation.

The Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien is dedicating its spring show to Anton Corbijn - an artist who works across media with photography, film and design and has significantly influenced the way we perceive pop culture since the 1970s. In the course of his international career spanning more than five decades, countless iconic, mostly black-and-white portraits of artists from music, film, literature, art and fashion have been created, which form the focus of the exhibition, which takes place around the artist's 70th birthday.

The special presentation Vitrine EXTRA, which periodically showcases different ancient objects as temporary additions to the permanent exhibition at the Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, explores the colorful traces of Greco-Roman antiquity in its sixth edition. Based on a relief depicting the god of light, Mithras, the presentation highlights the vibrant polychromy of Roman statues and monuments – impressively showcasing how colorful they originally were!

Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer in a double pack in the Albertina: Drawing in light and dark is "the beginning and the gateway to painting" - as Cennino Cennini put it in a famous treatise on painting around 1400. On coloured primed paper, it was often possible to work in the dark, but also in the light, with breathtaking virtuosity. This opened up completely new aesthetic experiences for artists and their audiences. Master drawings such as Leonardo's head studies or Dürer's Praying Hands paved the way for the recognition of drawing as an art form equal to painting and are still among the most famous works of the Renaissance today.

I have often called my pictures "painted music". Or I have spoken of "making music with colours and forms". (Arnold Schönberg, 1930) In addition to a large selection of paintings and drawings, the extensive show presents music autographs, writings, letters, photographs, catalogues and ephemera from the archive that contextualise Schönberg's years of painting. Contemporaries from the visual arts enter into a written dialogue with the painting composer. Digitally animated scores, film clips and voices from the past take you into a world that only seems to have disappeared.

Maria Hahnenkamp (* 1959, Eisenstadt) has been working with, through, about, and also against the medium of photography and its specific devices since the late 1980s. As an artist's artist, she has been known for decades for her media-critical and feminist artistic work and is a seminal figure in Austrian contemporary art history. Belvedere 21 will dedicate its first major institutional solo exhibition to Maria Hahnenkamp in spring 2025. The central themes of the exhibition are emptiness, space, craftsmanship, and ornament. With a selection of around 100 works, she will present, among other works, photographs, works with photographic paper, slide projections, video works, installations, and in-situ wall drillings in an architecture by Walter Kräutler.

UEFA Champions League Finals #WatchParty Vienna, VACome join us at Inca Social for an epic night of soccer action! Watch the UEFA Champions League Finals with fellow fans in Vienna, VA. Cheer for your favorite team, enjoy great food and drinks, and soak up the electric atmosphere. Don't miss out on this exciting event! **THIS TICKET DOES NOT INCLUDE A TABLE OR RESERVATION** RESERVATIONSWhile reservations are not required to attend, we recommend booking in advance for groups of 6 or more to secure your spot. Reserve your table at WWW.INCASOCIAL.COM to guarantee a seat for the match. PARKING & PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONParking is hassle-free with complimentary spaces available at Harris Teeter, and free all-day parking in the METRO lot behind the restaurant on weekends. Plus, with the Dunn Loring Metro station and public buses just steps away, getting to Inca Social couldn't be easier. Information Source: Inca Social | eventbrite

Welcome to The Power of Business Fashion Show! Date: Saturday, May 3 2025 Time: 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM Location: 8000 Towers Crescent Dr suite 1700 Join us for an unforgettable evening of elegance and empowerment at The Power of Business Fashion Show ! This fashion event celebrates the dynamic intersection of business and fashion, showcasing how professional attire can elevate confidence, and drive success in the professional world. Enjoy a captivating runway experience featuring carefully curated ensembles that blend sophistication, individuality, and innovation. Whether you're a corporate professional, entrepreneur, or fashion enthusiast, this event offers inspiration on how to dress for success while embracing personal style. Beyond the runway, connect with like-minded professionals, gain insights from industry experts, and experience the transformative power of fashion in the workplace. Don’t miss this opportunity to see how the right attire can make a lasting impact in business and beyond! All proceeds from this extraordinary event will benefit the Jumpstart Foundation, furthering its mission to empower the next generation of leaders to reach their full potential by providing career and professional development opportunities, mentorship connections, and scholarship opportunities to college students. About The Jumpstart Foundation: Sir Isaac Newton said it best: 'If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.' The Jumpstart Foundation was established on the belief that when individuals are equipped with the resources they need and maintain unwavering dedication, they can achieve remarkable results. The Jumpstart Foundation is committed to helping the next generation of leaders 'jumpstart' their careers by providing professional development, mentorship connections, and scholarship opportunities. Our sole measure of success is the success of our students, recognizing that each individual has a unique background, definition of success, and strengths. By supporting the Jumpstart Foundation, you directly contribute to the professional development and scholarship opportunities for our students, ensuring that we continue to make a lasting impact on their futures. Learn More: https://jumpstartfoundation.betterworld.org/ Information Source: The Tower Club Jumpstart Committee | eventbrite

Say Her Name: A Mother's Day Tribute for Grieving Hearts Saturday, May 3, 2025 | 1 : 00 PM to 3:30 PM Vienna Community Center, South #201 120 Cherry Street, SE , Vienna 22180 An uplifting gathering for anyone navigating Mother’s Day without their mother or mother figure. This event creates space to reflect, remember, and connect no matter where you are on your grief journey. Grief improv Theatre Presented by professional actors and musicians of Compassionate Coaching Emcee: Kinyatta E. Gray, Bestselling Author & Founder, The Heart of Miss Bee, Inc. Sponsored by Lay To Rest Funeral Home Information Source: eventbrite

Welcome to the Vienna Economic Summit 2025 ! Join us at the Vienna Community Center for insightful discussion on the future of the Vienna economy, business support opportunities, and a celebration of Vienna's long-standing businesses. This in-person event brings together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to explore the future of the economy. Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation and gain valuable insights into the economic landscape. Secure your spot now! Upon checkout, please indicate if you would like to receive lunch. Information Source: Town of Vienna Economic Development | eventbrite

Erwin Wurm is one of the most successful and well-known international contemporary artists today. For the first time, a comprehensive retrospective of his diverse oeuvre in all artistic media will be on display at the Albertina modern on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

New social challenges and innovative forms of work organization have had just as much of an impact on the design of things as updated production techniques, marketing opportunities and distribution channels. 100 selected objects - furniture, household appliances, tools and lighting, entertainment electronics and toys, as well as design for personal care, health, sustainable mobility and collaboration with robots - in the MAK exhibition represent the diversity and innovative power of Austrian product design from 2000 to the present. They are role models for design quality with regard to functionality, technological innovation, resource conservation and ergonomics, but also for wit, charisma and the emotional content of products. In 25 thematic categories - from A for "Alpine" to Z for "Circular" - there are surprising and exciting things to discover in familiar objects.

Dagobert Peche (1887–1923) had the formal language of the Wiener Werkstätte explode. He responded to the geometry of the Wiener Werkstätte founder Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser with opulent decors, which were obtained from nature; everyday objects he deliberately gave a complexity that logic and utility value deliberately underwent logic and utility. In theory, Peche underpined his approach with the writing The Burning Bush, in which he called for the "overcoming of the utility" in order to arrive at a new artistic expression. The architect graduated from 1911 turned to arts and crafts and experimented with various materials – silver, glass, ceramics, leather and paper. He designed jewellery, furniture and exhibition displays as well as sensational fabric and wallpaper patterns.

Galerie Eva Presenhuber presents Zeichnungen und Drucke / Drawings and Prints, a group exhibition exploring different approaches to drawing and print, demonstrating the range and richness of these mediums on various types of paper and wood. Works on paper by the gallery artists Joe Bradley, Carroll Dunham, Shara Hughes, Tobias Pils, Ugo Rondinone, Tschabalala Self, Steven Shearer, and Josh Smith are presented. In addition, three pencil drawings on birchwood by the invited Mexican-Swiss artist Alex Hank are on view.

Gallery Kandlhofer presents Film Stills, a new solo exhibition by Hannah Perry (b. 1984, Chester, England).In her solo exhibition at Galerie Kandlhofer, Hannah Perry brings together wall-based sculptures and a series of screen prints that build on her recent exhibition at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle. Across these works, Perry pushes at the material and conceptual edges of screen-printing, folding in painterly gestures, industrial references, and personal histories to create surfaces charged with friction.

Information Source: charles@winstonsservices.com | eventbrite

Calling all flower lovers, aspiring and beginner gardeners! Dreaming of filling your home with beautiful, homegrown bouquets and arrangements, but unsure where to start or nervous about how to fit flower gardening into your busy life? Join our Foundations of Cut Flower Gardening Workshop and learn how cut flowers are different from landscape flowers and how to grow the same stunning blooms florists use —whether in a backyard or on a small balcony. Reena, our local cut flower garden consultant and educator, a busy professional and mom of two, will share how cut flower gardening can help you reconnect with yourself and how you too can fit this wellness hobby into your busy professional and home life without the overwhelm! In this hands-on session, you’ll discover: - The Basics – Understanding soil, sunlight, and your growing space for thriving cut flowers. - What to Grow & When – Mastering our growing seasons to ensure year round blooms and what to grow to have cohesive arrangements. - Essential Care Tips – Learn what’s needed for healthy blooms and long vase life - What every beginner gardener should know about seed starting, including: 3 questions every gardener should ask BEFORE sowing any seed Seed-starting methods that are effective for cut flower gardens Tips and tricks and common mistakes to avoid with seed starting. seed starting equipment and other resources. What's Included: All materials are included. You'll get to sow some seeds yourself. To kickstart your journey, you’ll also take home a curated set of specialty cut flower seedlings ready to be planted —so you can start growing your own fresh-cut bouquets right away. From dahlias (yes from seed!), sunflowers, celosia, zinnia and more! Don't miss it! This workshop makes a great Mother's Day gift for yourself or a loved one! *** please note, this class will be held at The Grounds sister property Willow Hill! Information Source: The Grounds of Livev | eventbrite

FREE 2-Day LifeCraft Workshop for Current and Former Federal Workers – Only a Few Days Left to Register! If you were impacted by the DOGE-related federal workforce reductions , this workshop is for you. LIFE OF SERVICE , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is hosting a FREE, in-person 2-day workshop to help former federal employees and contractors turn this setback into a fresh start . May 2–3, 2025 Tysons Corner, VA 9AM–5PM each day FREE – Only 36 seats available! Click here to view Agenda What You’ll Get: ✅ Clarity on what’s next for your career and life ✅ Confidence rooted in your strengths and experience ✅ A renewed sense of purpose and hope ✅ Community and support from others on the same path ✅ Hands-on tools to move forward with momentum This inaugural workshop is led by Dr. Hyung Joon Yoon , a Penn State professor and leading researcher in career adaptability and hope-centered career development . Why Free? Because your future shouldn’t depend on your wallet. This event is fully underwritten by generous donations to LIFE OF SERVICE —a nonprofit focused on helping people rediscover meaning and direction through service and community. ⏳ Space is limited. Registration closes soon. Don’t wait. Information Source: Life of Service | eventbrite

Join RockItGov for their Networking Event hosted by Darryl Peek. This event is an event designed to connect and empower public and private sector leaders! Why Attend? Connect with Innovators: Engage with leaders driving transformation in the public sector. Collaborate for Impact: Share ideas and strategies to inspire innovation across industries. Exclusive Networking: Build valuable connections with professionals shaping government and industry. Relax and Recharge: Enjoy a vibrant atmosphere with great food, drinks, and conversation. Who Should Attend? Government professionals Industry leaders and innovators Public-private partnership advocatesLet’s collaborate, create, and make a difference together. Don’t miss out!#GovImpactSocial #RockItGov #NetworkingForChange #InspireInnovateImpact Information Source: RockITGov | eventbrite

Join us at Bards Alley for a discussion with author and illustrator Venessa Vida Kelley. They will be talking about their newest release with Erewhon Books, When the Tides Held the Moon, a romantic, historical fantasy set in 1910s New York City following a young Puerto Rican immigrant and his journey of love and self-discovery, complete with gorgeous illustrations by the author themself. The event will take place at Bards Alley Bookshopin Vienna, VA on Tuesday, May 6th at 6:00PM. You may reserve a book under your name as an add-on, but additional copies will be available for purchase during the event, and Venessa will be signing copies after their discussion. About the book: Benigno “Benny” Caldera knows an orphaned Boricua blacksmith in 1910s New York City can’t call himself an artist. But the ironwork tank he creates for famed Coney Island playground, Luna Park, astounds everyone, especially the eccentric side-show proprietor who commissioned it. Benny’s work earns him an invitation to join the show’s eclectic crew of performers—his first welcome in the city—and share in their astonishing secret: the tank Benny built is a cage for their newest exhibit, a living, breathing, in-the-flesh merman stolen from the banks of the East River under a gleaming full moon. The merman is more than a mythic marvel, though. Benny comes to know Río as a clever philosopher, an observant traveler, and a kindred spirit more beautiful and compassionate than any human he’s ever met. Despite their different worlds, what begins as a friendship of necessity deepens to love, leading Benny’s heart into uncharted waters where he can no longer ignore the agonizing truth of Río’s captivity—and his own. A cage is no place for a merman to survive. Though releasing Río means betraying his new family, bankrupting their home, and losing his soulmate forever, Benny must look within for the courage to do what’s right, and find a love strong enough to free them both. Information Source: Bards Alley Bookshop | eventbrite