STATE COLLECTIONS OF LOWER AUSTRIA

© Landessammlungen Niederösterreich 2017, Fotos: Lukas Beck

The State Collections of Lower Austria gather and research material evidence from the fields of art, culture, and nature for current and future generations. They preserve what makes Lower Austria what it is. The State Collections house over six million objects. They are grouped into twelve major collection areas.

The State Collections are a genuine treasure trove! The State Gallery of Lower Austria was established in order to display the full potential of the collection to public audiences. For the first time in its over 100-year history, the art collection now has a museum dedicated solely to art.

Art collection with international standing

The art collection of Lower Austria is internationally renowned. Since its inception 120 years ago, it has grown steadily. Today it comprises over 100,000 works, mainly of Austrian provenance, ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day. All genres are represented—from drawings and prints, photography, paintings, sculpture, textile art, decorative arts to media art and installation.

Kremser Schmidt

The “Art before 1960” section of the collection contains important works from the Middle Ages and the Baroque period. Two great names from the Baroque period are closely associated with Krems: Martin Johann Schmidt (1718–1801), also known as “Kremser Schmidt,” and Michael Wutky (1739–1822). Schmidt is best known for his sacred paintings found in churches along the Danube. Wutky enjoyed great success with his landscape paintings.

    Outstanding Biedermeier collection

    The state has collected over sixty paintings from the Biedermeier period by Friedrich Gauermann (1807–1862), one of the best animal painters of his time. Also represented are Johann Peter Krafft (1780–1856), Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, and Franz Steinfeld the Younger (1787–1868).

    Wachau painting

    The Wachau is a thematic focus of the art collection. In the late eighteenth century, artists began creating works celebrating the picturesque qualities of this area, fostering awareness of today’s UNESCO World Heritage region. These include Eduard Peithner von Lichtenfels (1833–1913), Maximilian Suppantschitsch (1865–1953), Thomas Ender (1793–1875), Tina Blau-Lang (1845–1916), and Anton Faistauer (1887–1930). A highlight is the eight-meter-long Panorama des Donautals mit der Ruine Dü