The event is part of Sibiu International Theater Festival
This year marks the beginning of a partnership between the Brukenthal National Museum and the Albertina Museum in Vienna.
Recognised as "perhaps the finest and most beautiful in Europe" the Albertina Museum has a valuable collection of prints and drawings that is still the largest in the world. Works by Michelangelo, Dürer, Rembrandt, Rubens, Schiele, etc. are included in this collection.
The Albertina and Brukenthal exhibition aims to bring together in one exhibition the two great museums in the world, highlighting what they have in common: the founders of the museums Prince Albert Casimir and Baron Brukenthal, two friends, both closely connected to Maria Theresa and members of the Freemason Lodge and renowned collectors. It is well-known that during his stay in Vienna and his numerous visits, Brukenthal had the opportunity to see many galleries and private collections. He learned a great deal from the renowned connoisseur Albert von Sachesn-Teschen. Wishing to make the most of his knowledge, Brukenthal visited him in Bratislava, the capital of Hungary at that time, where Albert was governor.
Both Archduchess Maria Christina and Sophia Katherina had a great influence in the lives of their husbands, Albert and Samuel, supporting and being by their side in enriching their collections.
It was Baron Brukenthal who, in the early 1802, drew up his will, gave all his possessions to the community, which thus became the largest museum in south-eastern Europe. Years later, in Vienna, Albert von Sachsen-Teschen also gave up his collections, founding the famous Albertina and, like Brukenthal, establishing a trust.
In Brukenthal's time, Sibiu became the Little Vienna of Eastern Europe and the "gateway" through which the concepts of progress and enlightenment entered the Transylvanian region.
In Vienna and Sibiu, both art lovers wanted the museum not only to delight the public, but also to stimulate the study of art and research. In setting up his art gallery, Brukenthal received advice from Vienna and from his friends Albert von Sachesn-Teschen and Christian Mechel - who were in charge of reorganising the imperial art collection. The late Enlightenment's new directions were also represented in Albert's gallery. The paintings were grouped in chronological order by school. In this way a collection of paintings was no longer intended merely to please viewers who were delighted by the beauty of the works, but served, in the Enlightenment spirit, to educate and instruct. The two Viennese collections, with their new ordering system, changed the paradigms of art reception and prepared the new concept of museum. In Sibiu, Brukenthal represented the type of the modern collector, demonstrated by his decision to open his art gallery to the public and promote it. His collection not only conformed to the principle of l'art pour l'art but also assumed a high political-educational mission.
Today, the Albertina Museum in Vienna and the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu are two institutions that have many things in common.
The Albertina Museum holds one of the most important collections of graphic art in the world, with masterpieces from several centuries. It is located in a baroque palace on the former ramparts of Vienna. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the museum's restoration. The museum has undergone substantial renovations, modernization, and expansion under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Klaus Albrecht Schröder (b. Linz 1955). The modernization of this 150 years old historic building resulted in extensions to the lower and upper levels to meet the museological needs of the Albertina Museum by producing adequate lighting, climate control and security.
In 2003, Hans Hollein's intervention, known as the "Soravia Wing" project, completed the exterior entrance the museum. The main entrance of the Albertina Museum features an elegant long metal flying umbrella that contrasts with the main building. It is a 64-metre long cantilevered titanium wing roof that covers the main entrance. Escalators and elevators have been added inside the old walls to facilitate movement between the entrance level and the square. This intervention also included removing a large damaged section of the wall to reveal the old foundations of the palace's brick walls, creating a 7.50 meter high space used for a café/bar. This original masterpiece, called "Soravia Wing", has acquired a landmark status and was undoubtedly one of Hans Hollein's radical but appealing touches.
Since the reopening of the building in 2003, the ambitious programme of over 150 exhibitions has attracted more that 15 million visitors. In May 2020, Albertina's second headquarters, Albertina Modern, opened, dedicated to contemporary art.