The Best Art Galleries in Vienna, Austria
- Grünangergasse 1 and Domgasse 1, 1010 Wien
The historic building that houses this Vienna art gallery has undergone multiple transformations before becoming the Galerie nächst St. Stephan we know today. Initially, Otto Kallir-Nirenstein, an art historian and publisher, opened his Neue Galerie here in 1923. During the Nazi era, Kallir emigrated to the United States, and the building passed through multiple hands, with the space serving various purposes until 1954, when Otto Mauer—a Roman Catholic priest and art patron—revived it under the name Galerie St. Stephan. In 1964, the gallery’s name changed once again to Galerie nächst St. Stephan. Since 1978, it has been led by Rosemarie Schwarzwälder, who has largely defined its identity. Galerie nächst St. Stephan has become a cornerstone for Vienna’s post-war avant-garde, with a strong focus on abstract, minimal and conceptual art. The gallery has maintained a consistent curatorial theme over the decades—art that “stands the test of time,” experimental, transnational, and intellectually charged. Its primary focus is on painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and video, all framed within a clear conceptual context, from the Neo-Geo movement and post-minimalism to modern visions.
Galerie nächst St. Stephan hosts exhibitions in two spaces. The main—and best-known—venue is located on the second floor of a historic building near St. Stephen’s Cathedral (hence the name). This venue consists of a sequence of interconnected, white-walled rooms with even lighting—ideal for large canvases, precise installations and works on paper. The second space, located just around the corner at Domgasse 1, allows the curatorial team to host additional exhibitions and more experimental projects. The gallery’s roster is filled with notable names, including Heimo Zobernig, a giant of Austria’s conceptual minimalism movement; “light” artist Brigitte Kowanz, known for her use of neon, lights, fluorescent tubes and mirrors; Lawrence Weiner, a key figure in the 1960s conceptual art movement; and abstract artist Imi Knoebel.
