Franz Anton Maulbertsch: 300 years at the Belvedere

From 12 April 2024 to 29 September 2024, the Belvedere in Vienna hosts an important exhibition of the work of Austrian Rococo painter Franz Anton Maulbertsch (1724-1796)

Source: Belvedere · Image: Franz Anton Maulbertsch, “Allegorie auf eine Preisverteilung an der Wiener Akademie unter Wenzel Anton Fürst von Kaunitz-Rietberg”. Belvedere, Vienna

Marking the 300th birthday of the artist Franz Anton Maulbertsch, the Belvedere is dedicating an IN-SIGHT exhibition to his work. Maulbertsch was one of the artists associated with the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts who broke with convention in around 1750 and adopted an expressive style. He went on to become an influential figure in Central European painting during the second half of the eighteenth century. Maulbertsch’s early works are characterized by dramatic chiaroscuro and human figures with an expressiveness that at times verges on the grotesque. This attracted attention, particularly in clerical circles, and he was awarded numerous commissions to paint frescoes and altarpieces for churches and monasteries.

The Belvedere holds the world’s largest complete collection of paintings by Maulbertsch. Following extensive conservation treatments, the artist’s works can once again be appreciated in all their details and delicate colors.

Highlights of the exhibition include “Glorification of Emperor Joseph II”, before 1777, “The Holy Kinship”, around 1755, “Allegory of a prize distribution at the Vienna Academy under Wenzel Anton Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg”, around 1790, “Assumption of Mary”, around 1782, “The Academy with its attributes at the feet of Minerva”, 1750, and a self-portrait painted around 1750.