Aging Pride

With Aging Pride, the Belvedere has dedicated a comprehensive museum exhibition to the highly topical, socio-political subject of age. It is the first exhibition to contrast historical and contemporary artistic positions on the concept of age with regard to gender roles, the assignment of these roles, and inter-generational solidarity.

These days, the aging process is seen as a deficiency in the public eye. Terms such as ‘anti-aging’ give the impression that aging is something pathological. The prevailing cult of youth endeavours to hide the traces of aging. Aside from negative stereotypes, however, age also indicates power, experience, wisdom, contemplation, lust for life, and triumph over societal conventions. Aging is not only a biological process but a cultural construction, which emerging sciences such as cultural gerontology have dedicated themselves to investigating.

In this show, curator Sabine Fellner demonstrates how artists have succeeded in differently perceiving the possibilities and limitations of age while transcending exaltation and pessimism. In the presented works, artists illustrate how age in all of its facets can be thoughtfully integrated into our lives. In addition to numerous works from the Belvedere collection, the exhibition presents high-profile loans from national and international museums.

Including works by Tina Barney, Max Beckmann, Werner Berg, Herbert Boeckl, Louise Bourgeois, Aleah Chapin, Heinz Cibulka, John Coplans, Lovis Corinth, Tacita Dean, Otto Dix, Eric Fischl, Lucian Freud, Adolf Frohner, Lea Grundig, Alfred Hrdlicka, Alex Katz, Gustav Klimt, Herlinde Koelbl, Broncia Koller, Käthe Kollwitz, Oskar Kokoschka, Brigitte Kowanz, Friedl Kubelka, Maria Lassnig, Robert Mapplethorpe, Karl Mediz, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Marie Louise von Motesiczky, Ron Mueck, Roman Opałka, Pablo Picasso, Arnulf Rainer, Egon Schiele, Cindy Sherman, Joan Semmel, Kiki Smith, Annegret Soltau, Fiona Tan, Spencer Tunick, Bill Viola, Max Weiler and Jeff Wall.