Feiernde Menschen vor dem fiktiven Johann Strauss Denkmal in Wien
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Hidden Modernism

Edvard Munch's painting entitled “Melancholy” depicts a beach landscape. In the right-hand corner of the picture, a man with black hair and dressed in black holds one hand to his face and looks down at the ground.
Edvard Munch, Melancholie, 1892 © Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections, Foto: Nasjonalmuseet/Børre Høstland
Edvard Munch's painting entitled “Melancholy” depicts a beach landscape. In the right-hand corner of the picture, a man with black hair and dressed in black holds one hand to his face and looks down at the ground.

The Fascination with the Occult around 1900

4 September 2025 - 18 January 2026

In the late 19th century, criticism of the materialism of industrialized society began to emerge. Many sought a new, nature-oriented way of life. Friedrich Nietzsche’s writings were avidly read, and Richard Wagner’s opera Parsifal was interpreted as a pacifist manifesto. The "painter prince" Hans Makart depicted scenes from the Ring des Nibelungen. Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach—a devoted admirer of Wagner, artist-prophet, and nudist—founded a rural commune near Vienna in 1897. The Vienna Secessionists embraced Wagner’s ideal of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art).

Vegetarian salons frequented by Vienna’s intellectuals became a conduit for modern theosophy, influenced by Eastern thought. Spiritualism offered niches for women: Gertrude Honzatko-Mediz created mediumistic drawings. In neighboring countries, trance states were documented by established painters such as Albert von Keller and Gabriel von Max. The writer August Strindberg, deeply inclined toward esotericism, painted dark landscape visions. His friend Edvard Munch, along with the belief in life-giving invisible rays, inspired new artistic impulses. Artists such as Richard Gerstl, Arnold Schönberg, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, and Max Oppenheimer saw their models as auratic presences. Modern psychology fused with dreamlike revelations, and the emergence of abstract painting would scarcely have been conceivable without the influence of occult literature.

For the first time in Vienna, a major exhibition examines the search for the “New Human” without ignoring the darker aspects of magical thinking. In this sense, the project Hidden Modernism also contributes to a critique of the present.

Venue

Leopold Museum

Museumsplatz 1
1070 Wien

Tickets & Info

Current Dates

  • Thu. 04 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 05 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 06 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 07 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 08 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 10 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 11 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 12 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 13 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 14 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
All dates

All Dates

September

  • Thu. 04 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 05 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 06 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 07 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 08 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 10 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 11 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 12 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 13 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 14 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 15 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 17 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 18 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 19 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 20 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 21 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 22 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 24 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 25 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 26 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 27 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 28 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 29 Sep 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

October

  • Wed. 01 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 02 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 03 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 04 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 05 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 06 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 08 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 09 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 10 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 11 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 12 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 13 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 15 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 16 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 17 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 18 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 19 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 20 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 22 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 23 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 24 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 25 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 26 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 27 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 29 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 30 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 31 Oct 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

November

  • Sat. 01 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 02 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 03 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 05 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 06 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 07 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 08 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 09 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 10 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 12 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 13 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 14 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 15 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 16 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 17 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 19 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 20 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 21 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 22 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 23 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 24 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 26 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 27 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 28 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 29 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 30 Nov 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

December

  • Mon. 01 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 03 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 04 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 05 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 06 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 07 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 08 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 10 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 11 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 12 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 13 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 14 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 15 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 17 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 18 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 19 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 20 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 21 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 22 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 25 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 26 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 27 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 28 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 29 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 31 Dec 2025, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

January 2026

  • Thu. 01 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 02 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 03 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 04 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 05 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 07 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 08 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 09 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 10 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 11 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Mon. 12 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Wed. 14 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Thu. 15 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Fri. 16 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sat. 17 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  • Sun. 18 Jan 2026, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fewer dates
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