Mission Statement
Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary is committed to supporting the production of contemporary art and is actively engaged in commissioning and disseminating unconventional projects that defy traditional disciplinary categorizations. The foundation sustains a far-reaching regional and international orientation, has an ongoing institutional commitment to the growing importance of art made in different parts of the world and explores modes of presentation that are intended to provoke and broaden the way viewers perceive and experience art.
Projects initiated by the foundation promote artistic practices that are architectural, context- and site-specific, performative, and often informed by an interest in social aesthetics and sociopolitical concerns. Many of the projects reflect the shift away from the material object and toward the concept, as well as the use of unconventional and ephemeral materials and the employment of new technology as an essential component of the work. These strategies challenge interpretation and the traditions of collecting, preserving, and presenting works of art.
Founded in Vienna in 2002 by Francesca von Habsburg, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary represents the fourth generation of the Thyssen family’s dedication to the arts. Exhibitions drawn from the foundation’s collection are regularly presented to the public at the exhibition space in Vienna. In addition, it shares its collection and commissions with numerous museums and public institutions as well as with major contemporary art exhibitions such as the Biennale di Venezia and documenta. In past years projects were realized through a collaborations with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, creating an alternative space for performance-related projects, and the New York Public Art Fund, Artangel in London, Wiener Festwochen and many others.