Kunst Haus Wien – Museum Hundertwasser
Kunst Haus Wien is a contemporary art museum in Vienna’s second district, Leopoldstadt, best known as the permanent home of a major collection of works by the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The building itself, redesigned by Hundertwasser in 1991 from a former Thonet furniture factory, is considered a work of art in its own right, featuring undulating floors, colourful ceramic tile mosaics, rooftop tree tenants, and an organic façade that rejects straight lines.
At a glance
- Type
- Contemporary art museum and gallery
- Period
- Building origins 19th century; redesigned and opened as museum 1991
- Style
- Hundertwasser organicist architecture; anti-rational design philosophy
- Location
- Leopoldstadt, Vienna, Austria · 48.2111° N, 16.3911° E
Overview
Kunst Haus Wien houses an extensive permanent collection of paintings, graphic works, and applied art by Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928–2000), one of Austria’s most internationally recognised post-war artists. Rotating temporary exhibitions on the upper floors bring major names from international contemporary art and photography. The museum’s mission combines artistic display with Hundertwasser’s ecological philosophy, reflected in its living roof plantings and energy-conscious building interventions.
History
The building at Untere Weißgerberstraße 13 began its life as a factory producing bentwood furniture for the Thonet company in the late nineteenth century. Friedensreich Hundertwasser transformed it between 1989 and 1991 into a museum dedicated to his own work and to the art he valued. The redesign introduced his signature elements: irregular mosaic columns, uneven ceramic floors, gold onion domes, and planted roof terraces. Kunst Haus Wien opened to the public in April 1991 and has since attracted millions of visitors drawn both by the art and by the architecture. It operates alongside the nearby Hundertwasserhaus residential building (1986), which Hundertwasser designed in collaboration with Josef Krawina.
What you see
The ground floor and first floor are devoted to the permanent Hundertwasser collection, displaying large-format paintings in his characteristic spiral-and-onion iconography alongside architectural models, tapestries, and ecological manifestos. Upper levels host temporary exhibitions that change several times per year. Throughout the building, the “uneven floor” concept is executed in hand-laid ceramic tile work that gently rises and dips underfoot, intended to reconnect visitors with the natural irregularity of the earth. A museum shop, café, and garden courtyard complete the visit.
Cultural significance
Kunst Haus Wien stands as the principal institutional guardian of Hundertwasser’s legacy, preserving and interpreting the work of an artist whose influence on ecological architecture and decorative painting extended across Europe, New Zealand, and Japan. It represents an unusual case in which an artist’s philosophy—rooted in the rejection of the straight line as “godless”—shaped an entire museum building from the inside out, making the visit an immersive encounter with a complete artistic world view.
Practical information
- Address
- Untere Weißgerberstraße 13, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Opening hours
- Check official website for current hours
- Admission
- Check official website for current pricing
- Website
- kunsthauswien.com
Getting there
The museum is a short walk from the U4 subway line stop at Schwedenplatz or Stadtpark, or reachable by tram lines 1 and O at the Hetzgasse stop. From the city centre it is approximately fifteen minutes on foot across the Danube Canal into Leopoldstadt. Bicycle parking is available outside the building.