Vienna

Late Tuesday night I returned from my sketchbook trip to beautiful Vienna. I spent each morning exploring the museums and galleries, before returning home to draw in my apartment throughout the afternoon, evening (and night!).

On Sunday I visited the Albertina to see "Matisse and the Fauves" and a retrospective of Gottfried Heinwein but my favourite work was an intervention by Marianne Lang where she carved plants directly into the walls. You can see some snaps I took of her work below and a short film of her process here

On Monday I visited the Museums Quarter to see the Schiele drawings at the Leopold, the contemporary art collection at Mumok, and the stripey roof on the Stephansdom Cathedral surrounded by lots of carriages ready for city tours...

This days highlight was the glorious Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) because of the beautiful elegant displays in dark wood victorian cabinets. I was particularly inspired by the mineral collection, all displayed and labelled in neat grids...

All the displays were so beautifully curated, I would love to spend a month in there with my sketchbook, I loved the rich patterning on this bird...

These unexpected flying ducks attached to the ceiling...

The cases of butterflies...

And the collections of insects - here ladybirds...

After exploring the collection I went to their beautiful cafe for tea, sitting under this grand domed ceiling...

On my final day I awoke to glorious blue skies, heading first to MAK the museum of applied arts. It was so cleverly curated, really inventive and fun. Here's how they displayed the chairs, lit behind screens to show their diverse silhouettes...

They were also showing a new commission from Pae White, enormous and glowing tapestries created from metallic threads...

After lunch I went onto the Secession, to view Klimt's Beethoven frieze housed in the basement of the most beautiful building I have ever seen...

I then climbed the hill to the Belvedere for the culmination and highlight of the trip to view many of Klimt's masterpieces including The Kiss and Judith...

It's always so astonishing to see paintings you've loved and studied in the flesh, to observe the scale, and get close enough to understand how the paint was applied. The Belvedere is as grand and beautiful as you'd imagine and I got to see it on such a beautiful day...

Here's the small concertina sketchbook completed on my visited, obviously inspired by the portrait drawings of Schiele and the gold and patterning of Klimt...

I find these short trips so inspiring and always return to the studio refreshed and buzzing with ideas and energy. 

Now time to start planning the next trip!...