Museum of Modern Art in Salzburg

Brief information

The Museum of Modern Art in Salzburg is arranged as a pair of buildings with different pasts. The first venue, the Rupertinum, occupies a former church school in the Old Town: this early Baroque 17th-century building first trained priests and officials, and in 1983 it was adapted as a gallery of modern art. That is why what matters here is not only the set of works, but also the contrast between the old educational architecture and its new museum purpose.

In 2004, the museum received a second building on Mönchsberg. It appeared after the expansion of the collection and long debates over the new museum project. Thus the museum is read not as a single exhibition hall, but as two different ways of presenting modern art: inside a historic urban building and on a high site connected with the panorama of Salzburg.

What to notice right away

In the Rupertinum, it is worth noticing the early Baroque shell of the former school and the ceramic appliqués beneath the windows. They were created by Friedensreich Hundertwasser for the exterior, and it was precisely these inserts that sparked heated discussions when the museum opened: here, modern art moved onto the facade instead of remaining only inside the exhibition.

With Mönchsberg, it is worth comparing a different arrangement of place. The new museum building stands on the mountain, from where, according to the original description, there is a view of almost all of Salzburg. This site was a notable urban point even before the museum: since 1890, an electric lift, today’s Mönchsbergaufzug, had led up to it. Two details — the lift to the mountain and the museum above the city — show why the second venue is perceived not simply as an expansion of the collection, but as a separate viewpoint and display site.