Cultural institutions in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier

Creative spaces

The MQ is a place of diversity with an array of art genres on offer. Renowned museums and exhibition houses are as at home here as smaller, cultural initiatives, modern classics and young artists of the new century.

The spectrum ranges from important art museums like the Leopold Museum - with the world’s biggest Egon Schiele collection - and the Museum MOderner Kunst Foundation Ludwig or mumok - the largest museum of modern and contemporary art in Central Europe - to the Kunsthalle Wien, which presents international contemporary art and related discourse. Add to that the Tanzquartier Wien - a centre for contemporary dance - and the Architekturzentrum Wien, with architecture from the 20th and 21st centuries eclectically displayed. There are, as well, outstanding art and cultural institutions for children here: the ZOOM Children’s Museum, the Dschungel Wien theatre for a younger audience and wienXtra-kinderinfo. The range of cultural activities on offer is supplemented by festivals such as the Wiener Festwochen and ImPulsTanz.

In Q21, the MuseumQuartier’s creative space opened in 2002, the emphasis is on production rather than presentation. Q21 houses around 50 cultural initiatives, 9 artist-in-residence studios and an exhibition room. Its tenants work in the most diverse fields. Whether it’s an international film or dance festival, an independent game developer, an art book publisher or a fashion store, the initiatives in Q21 complement the MuseumsQuartier’s traditional museums and event stages in their subject matter and product format. Furthermore, part of Q21 is an international artist in residence programme. Each year, artists from all over the world are invited to stay in one of the onsite guest studios and collaborate with Q21’s cultural organisers. Frei_raum Q21 exhibition space presents rotating group exhibitions with free admission.