Kunsthistorisches Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Kunsthistorisches Museum

Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna with Maria-Theresien-Platz
Established	1871–1891
Location	Maria Theresien Platz Vienna, Austria
Type	Art museum
Visitors	1,745,070 (2019)

The beautiful Rotunda inside the museum

Madonna of the Meadow by Raphael, 1506

Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, c. 1563

Summer, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, 1563

Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress by Velázquez

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is a fantastic art museum located in Vienna, Austria. Its name means "Museum of Art History." It's often called the "Museum of Fine Arts." This amazing museum is housed in a grand, palace-like building on the Vienna Ring Road. The building has a cool octagonal dome on top. It's the biggest art museum in Austria and one of the most important in the whole world!

Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary opened the museum around 1891. At the same time, the Natural History Museum, Vienna was also opened. It has a similar design and is right across Maria-Theresien-Platz. Both buildings were built between 1871 and 1891. The architects were Gottfried Semper and Baron Karl von Hasenauer. The emperor wanted these two museums to properly display the huge art collection of the Habsburg family. He also wanted to make it easy for everyone to see these treasures.

The museum buildings are shaped like rectangles. They have matching Renaissance Revival fronts made of sandstone. These fronts have big arched windows on the main floors. An octagonal dome, about 60 metres (200 ft) high, sits on top. Inside, the museums are super fancy! They are decorated with marble, fancy stucco designs, gold-leaf, and murals. The grand staircase has paintings by famous artists like Gustav Klimt, Ernst Klimt, and Hans Makart.

What You Can See: The Collections
- Famous Paintings Gallery
- Other Cool Collections
Important Happenings
Images for kids
See also

What You Can See: The Collections

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is home to many amazing collections. Most of them come from the Habsburg family, who were powerful rulers for centuries. They loved collecting art!

Famous Paintings Gallery

The museum's main collection is its picture gallery. It has paintings from the Habsburgs, including portraits and armor from Ferdinand of Tirol. There are also many works from Emperor Rudolph II. Another big part is the collection of paintings from Archduke Leopold Wilhelm.

Here are some of the most famous paintings you can see:

Jan van Eyck: Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati (c. 1431)
Raphael:
- Madonna of the Meadow (1506)
- St Margaret and the Dragon (1518)
Albrecht Dürer:
- Avarice (1507)
- Adoration of the Trinity (1511)
Titian:
- The Bravo (1516–17)
- Portrait of Isabella d'Este (1534–1536)
Pieter Brueghel the Elder:
- The Fight Between Carnival and Lent (1559)
- Children's Games (1560)
- The Tower of Babel (1563)
- The Hunters in the Snow (1565)
- The Peasant Wedding (1568/69)
Giuseppe Arcimboldo:
- The Four Seasons (paintings made of fruits, vegetables, and other objects!)
  - Summer (1563)
  - Winter (1563)
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio:
- The Crowning with Thorns (c. 1602–1604)
- Madonna of the Rosary (1606–07)
Peter Paul Rubens:
- Miracles of St. Francis Xavier
- Self-Portrait (1638–39)
Rembrandt: Self Portrait (1652)
Johannes Vermeer: The Art of Painting (1665–66)
Diego Velázquez: Several portraits of the Spanish royal family.

Other Cool Collections

Besides paintings, the Kunsthistorisches Museum has many other fascinating collections:

Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection: See ancient artifacts from Egypt and the Middle East.
Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities: Explore art and objects from ancient Greece and Rome.
Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts: Discover beautiful sculptures and fancy decorative items.
Coin Collection: A huge collection of old coins from different times and places.
Library: A place for researchers to study art history.

Important Happenings

Art Returned to Owners

Sometimes, artworks are taken from their rightful owners, especially during wars. The museum works to return these pieces. For example, in 2010, a panel suggested returning two old altar panels to the family of a Jewish art collector whose art was taken during World War II. There was also a discussion in 2015 about a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Fight Between Carnival and Lent. Poland believed it was taken during the war, but the museum said they had owned it for a very long time.

The Stolen Salt Cellar

One of the museum's most famous objects is the Cellini Salt Cellar. It's a beautiful sculpture made by Benvenuto Cellini. On May 11, 2003, this valuable piece was stolen! It was a huge art theft in Austria. But don't worry, it was found on January 21, 2006. It was hidden in a box buried in a forest near the town of Zwettl. This exciting story was even shown on the TV show Museum Secrets!

The Great Museum Film

A documentary film called The Great Museum (2014) was made about the Kunsthistorisches Museum. It was filmed over two years. It showed what happened as the museum got ready to reopen its newly fixed-up and bigger Kunstkammer rooms in 2013.

Bruegel Exhibition

From October 2018 to January 2019, the museum held a special exhibition. It was the biggest show ever of works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It was called Bruegel – Once in a Lifetime.