FASCINATION PAPER – Rembrandt to Kiefer

With this extraordinary exhibition in the Basteihalle, the Albertina focuses on the medium that defines its collection like no other. FASCINATION PAPER places the material itself at the center for the first time and, through some 140 exhibits, highlights its diverse artistic treatments and forms. 
The visual, tactile, and structural properties of paper have long inspired artistic exploration. Invented in China some 2,000 years ago, paper is not merely a two-dimensional medium for drawings and prints; it opens up a wealth of possibilities for artistic creation—it can be cut, torn, embossed, folded, layered, or unfolded in space. The exhibition draws exclusively from the Albertina’s rich holdings and, through a dialogue that spans eras and collections, showcases paper in all its versatility, diverse qualities, and dimensions. Historical and contemporary works come together across the centuries. Well-known masterpieces are juxtaposed with newly discovered, rare, or previously unseen works, opening up new perspectives on the collection.

Artists: Albrecht Altdorfer, Ottomar Anschütz, Anna Barriball, Stefano della Bella, Hans Bischoffshausen, Louis Bretez, Johann Theodor de Bry, Johanna Calle, Thomas Demand, Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch, Burhan Doğançay, Albrecht Dürer, Anthonis van Dyck, Tone Fink, Peter Flötner, Lucio Fontana, Utagawa Fusatane, Angela Glajcar, Conraad Goltzius, Georg Hartmann, Utagawa Hiroshige, Wenzel Hollar, Jochen Höller, Tillman Kaiser, Avish Khebrehzadeh, Toba Khedoori, Anselm Kiefer, Yves Klein, Birgit Knoechl, Marcus Kraffter, Martina Kresta, Alena Kučerová, Utagawa Kunisada I. / Toyokuni III., Utagawa Kunisada II. / Toyokuni IV., Utagawa Kuniaki II., Toyohara Kunishika, François Langot, Henriette Leinfellner, Sol Lewitt, Adolf Loos, Israhel van Meckenem, Meister E. S., Claude Mellan, Eadweard Muybridge, Jost de Negker, Oberrheinischer Meister, Jean Patigny, Payer Gabriel, Otto Piene, Jacob Anton Premblechner, Wendelin Pressl, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Ugo Rondinone, Rebecca Salter, Peter Sandbichler, Liddy Scheffknecht, Eva Schlegel, Greta Schödl, Schwäbischer Meister, Antoni Starczewski, Günther Uecker, Victor Vasarely, Tiziano Vecellio, Hanns Wallner, Ochiai Yoshiiku, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Heimo Zobernig, Franz von Zülow