Of grievous times and beautiful things
Spring and summer 2015: Special exhibitions at Innsbruck ’s museums
Featuring five independent exhibition venues and seven different collections, the
Tyrolean State Museums are a veritable treasure trove for all those interested in ancient and contemporary art and culture, traditional artefacts, the local history and natural environment. Browsing the museums of Innsbruck will give you an in-depth understanding of the Tyrol region and beyond. The fact that each venue has its own special area of focus is also reflected in various special spring and summer exhibitions on view at the Ferdinandeum, Folk Art Museum, Imperial Church, Arsenal (Zeughaus),
Tirol Panorama and Imperial Infantry Museum.
Tyrolean artist Michael Strasser - a modern day explorer who creates visual stories with his camera - puts spatial and frequently derelict architectural situations into context with their cultural and social relevance. Having received the Raiffeisen-
Landesbank Tirol AG art prize in 2014, the artist has now been invited to present his installations and large-scale photographic works at the Tyrolean State Museum
Ferdinandeum (19.06.-13.09.2015). Also the Ferdinandeum’s second summer exhibition revolves around the concept of transformation and disintegration, albeit of a rather different kind. Going back in history about a hundred years, we find ourselves in a country which differs vastly from the Tyrol as we know it today, not only in economical and social terms but also with regard to its geopolitical borders.
Particularly Italy’s entry into WWI in May 1915 resulted in serious consequences, as the Tyrol suddenly turned into an actual front line. With its exhibition Front –
Homeland. The Tyrol in WWI (07.05.-01.11.2015) the Ferdinandeum investigates the region’s battlegrounds and the dramatic impact of war on the local population.
Also the Imperial Palace - in cooperation with the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum and the
Tyrolean Hospice Care Society – will be featuring an exhibition that focuses on death, bereavement and grief. From 29 May 2015 until 10 January 2016 , a special show will be commemorating the 250 th anniversary of the sudden demise of Franz Stephan of
Lorraine, husband of Empress Maria Theresa while celebrating the joyful wedding festivities they had arranged for their sun Leopold and Princess Maria Ludovica of
Spain to take place in Innsbruck. Featuring utility objects and traditional artifacts,
Innsbruck Tourismus
Silvana M. Giuliani
International Marketing & Press
Tel. +43 512 / 59 850 - 123 s.giuliani@innsbruck.info

paintings, portraits and other works of art, the exhibition titled ‘The last things in life - an exhibition about death and mourning (17652015)’ will be exploring the general concept of dying and also highlight the changes in social perceptions since the 18 th century.
Rather more peaceful displays await visitors at both the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum and the Arsenal Museum. Under the theme More than words: Signs, symbols, enblems (23.04.-08.05.2015) the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum ’s summer exhibition explores how our visual perception is shaped by pictograms, traffic signs, logos and marks omnipresent in everyday life. Also the Arsenal Museum takes a close-up look at things by unraveling the close relation between the various natural sciences. Here a special show titled Nature connected (20.03.
–11.10.2015) illustrates the intricate interaction between biology, botany, zoology and microbiology, highlighting the amazing natural properties of plants and animals in the process.
Collecting and displaying hitherto unknown and wondrous examples of animal life and owning exotic noble creatures was a sign of wealth and prestige among the ruling classes of the Renaissance era. At Ambras Castle , the former residence of Archduke
Ferdinand II, the exhibition titled So beastly! The Duke’s menagerie focuses on this great fascination for the acquisition of rare animals as a source of inspiration for the fine arts, serving as objects for nature studies and the research into their medicinal properties. Demonstrating the theme’s fascinating versatility, the show features a colourful menagerie of works from Ambras Castle’s well-stocked Chamber of Art and
Curiosities alongside paintings and drawings by Albrecht Dürer, Guiseppe Arcimboldo and Georg Hufnagel drawn from various Austrian and international collections.
Information: Ambras Castle Museum, tel. +43 1 52524 48 02, info.ambras@khm.at, www.schlossambras-innsbruck.at
Tyrolean State Museums, www.tiroler-landesmuseen.at:
Ferdinandeum, tel. +43 512 59 489, sekretariat@tiroler-landesmuseen.at;
Tyrolean Folk Art Museum, tel. +43 512 59 489-510, volkskunstmuseum@tiroler-landesmuseen.at;
Arsenal Museum, tel. +43 512 59 489-313, zeughaus@tiroler-landesmuseen.at
Opening hours: Tue –Sun 10am–6pm.
Innsbruck Tourismus
Silvana M. Giuliani
International Marketing & Press
Tel. +43 512 / 59 850 - 123 s.giuliani@innsbruck.info