New Exhibition at the Wien Museum: “Reality as an Attitude. Viennese Realism after 1950”
At a time when the art world was increasingly moving in abstract and avant-garde directions, an artistic movement emerged in Vienna that consciously opposed this development: Viennese Realism after 1950. The Wien Museum is now dedicating a comprehensive exhibition to this often overlooked but important art movement entitled “Reality as an attitude: Viennese Realism after 1950,” seen at Musa from March 20 to August 17, 2025.
The exhibition at the Wien Museum focuses on how existentialism shaped her realism, which propagated a new humanistic image of man. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons /Christine Koblitz/ CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The Vienna Realist group of artists formed in 1954 as a conscious counter-current to the prevailing Art Informel and abstract art of the time. Its most important representatives included Georg Eisler, Hans Escher, Alfred Hrdlicka, Fritz Martinz, Rudolf Schönwald, and Rudolf Schwaiger. Their aim was to create a new form of realism that not only depicted the external world but also reflected deeper social and political issues.
In particular, coming to terms with National Socialism was a central concern of these artists. As early as the 1950s, they critically examined the Nazi era in works such as Eisler's graphic cycle “Soldatentreffen” (Soldiers' Reunion) - at a time when Austria was still a long way from coming to terms with its past.
Existentialism and social reality as artistic guidelines
Viennese realism after 1950 was closely linked to the ideas of existentialism, in particular the theories of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. The artists did not want to use their art to create a pure depiction of reality but rather to convey a humanistic image of man that dealt with the existential questions of human existence.
This approach was revolutionary and differed significantly from other realist art movements. While socialist realism in Eastern Europe primarily served propagandistic purposes and capitalist realism in Germany focused on consumer society, Viennese realism was deeply introspective and politically engaged.
Influence on subsequent generations
The exhibition at the Wien Museum not only shows the works of the core figures of Viennese Realism but also its influence on later art movements. In the 1960s and 1970s, new forms of expression developed from this movement:
- Poetic Realism, which was more concerned with emotional and narrative elements
- The “realities” group, which sought a new visual language between realism and pop art in the 1960s
- The influence of new media, in particular, the integration of collages and photography into realism
The exhibition at musa: insight into an Often Overlooked Art Movement
The exhibition at musa, Felderstraße 6-8, 1010 Vienna, offers a unique overview of this exciting period in Austrian art history. In addition to paintings and prints, photographs, documents, and films are also on display to illustrate the historical context of the movement.
The curators not only want to present the artistic quality of the works but also stimulate a socio-political discourse: What is the significance of realist art today? To what extent are the themes of Viennese Realism reflected in contemporary art?
Visitor information
The exhibition “Reality as an Attitude. Viennese Realism after 1950” can be seen from March 20 to August 17, 2025.
Location: musa, Felderstraße 6-8, 1010
Vienna Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-18:00
Admission: free of charge
Further information can be found on the Wien Museum website: www.wienmuseum.at.