Albertina exhibitions this winter

What exhibitions are on at the Albertina this winter?

Five temporary shows plus the permanent Monet to Chagall display, all on one Albertina ticket. Albertina Modern adds two more on its own ticket.

The order to see them in depends on the closing dates. Otto Meets Albertina goes first, on 10 January, then Picasso - Bacon on 31 January, Her Story on 14 February and Shara Hughes on 28 February. Arnulf Rainer opens on 12 November and stays until 25 April 2027.

A visit with the exhibitions takes two to three hours. Too much for one go? Advance tickets stay valid for a year, for one entry, so you can split the main museum from Albertina Modern across two days.

What is Picasso - Bacon about, and when does it close?

About 70 works by Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon, hung as a confrontation of the 20th century's two big figurative painters. It runs from 18 September 2026 to 31 January 2027.

Bacon decided to become a painter after seeing Picasso, and spent his life trying to outdo him. The show puts crucifixions, screams, bullfights and nudes side by side, with loans from the Reina Sofía, MoMA, Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie and private collections. Picasso never took anything from Bacon, the museum notes, but he followed his career closely.

This is the show of the season, and the busiest. The museum's own tip: weekday early afternoons or after 5 p.m., and on weekends between 1 and 3 p.m. or in the evening. A smartphone guide in German and English costs EUR 5, and public guided tours EUR 6 on top of the ticket. Maria, in a 5-star review from Oct 2026: "The Picasso-Bacon combination is excellent."

What else is on: Her Story, Shara Hughes, Otto and Arnulf Rainer?

Her Story surveys five centuries of women artists from the collection (until 14 February 2027). Shara Hughes shows her painted landscapes (until 28 February 2027). Otto Waalkes sits in the State Rooms until 10 January 2027. Arnulf Rainer opens on 12 November.

• Her Story. Women Artists of the Albertina opened on 30 October: early engravers and publishers bought by the founders themselves, through Angelica Kauffmann and Berthe Morisot to Louise Bourgeois, Maria Lassnig and VALIE EXPORT.
• Shara Hughes. Sink In is the American painter's first solo museum show in Austria, on since 9 October: invented landscapes with giant flowers, forests and blazing suns.
• Otto Meets Albertina places the German comedian's tongue-in-cheek paintings next to old masters inside the Habsburg State Rooms. It is aimed at a German-speaking audience, and its public tours run in German.
• Arnulf Rainer, who died in late 2025, gets about 70 works drawn from the roughly 600 the museum owns, from the 1950s overpaintings to the late veil paintings. On until 25 April 2027.

What is on at Albertina Modern this winter?

Vasarely & Adrian. Dynamic Grids until 10 January 2027, and Franz West. The Revolution of Sculpture from 6 November 2026 to 29 March 2027.

The Op Art show pairs Victor Vasarely with the Austrian Marc Adrian, who stood next to him at MoMA's The Responsive Eye in 1965. It closes on 10 January. The Franz West retrospective marks what would have been the sculptor's 80th birthday, with his wearable Adaptives of the seventies, made to be handled.

Albertina Modern sits in the Künstlerhaus, Karlsplatz 5, about 10 minutes on foot from the Albertina. Its ticket costs EUR 17.90 and covers only its own halls; the combined ticket at EUR 29.90 covers both buildings, one entry each. There is no smartphone guide at the Modern at present. Our Albertina vs Albertina Modern guide compares the two.

Franz West from 6 November and Op Art until 10 January, at the Künstlerhaus on Karlsplatz.

★ 3.9 · 1 to 2 hours · from $20

Explore the Albertina Modern ticket → Tour details

Is Albertina Klosterneuburg open in winter?

No. Its 2026 season ends on 15 November, and it stays closed from 16 November 2026 to March 2027.

Klosterneuburg, by the Danube 3 km outside the city border, opens Thursday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in season. Its current show, Donated with Love, closes with the season on 15 November. The combined ticket still includes it, and since tickets bought ahead last a year, a combined ticket bought now can cover Klosterneuburg after it reopens, if the year has not run out.

What exhibitions are coming to the Albertina in 2027?

Down Under. Art from Australia opens on 23 April 2027. Arnulf Rainer runs until 25 April 2027 and Franz West until 29 March 2027, so a spring visit still catches both.

The museum previews Down Under with a 1995 painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye from the Essl Collection. Its venue is listed under the Albertina Modern previews.

Through the season the permanent parts stay put: the 20 State Rooms and Monet to Chagall, with Degas, Cézanne, Monet, Chagall and a run of Picassos. Special events can close some State Rooms on a given day; the museum takes calls on +43 1 534 83 500. Our guide to what to see covers the permanent rooms.

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