Masterpieces of Architectural Drawing

Be they Baroque vedutas, Renaissance buildings, or architectural ensembles like Vienna’s Ringstrasse: since time immemorial, architectural drawings have been used both to document the urban and rural past and to envision the future. This exhibition provides new insights into this fascinating genre through a selection of around 120 highlights from the Albertina’s collection of architectural drawings – from the Late Gothic and the Renaissance to the Baroque and Classicism, to Historicism and Art Nouveau, and continuing all the way to the architecture of the interwar period. World-famous drawings by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Theophil Hansen, Adolf Loos, Hans Hollein, Zaha Hadid and many others reveal the unique qualities of architectural sketches while also showing painters’ compositional takes on and naturalistic perceptions of buildings, architectural ensembles, and cities. Find out more about the ‘Masterpieces of Architectural Drawings’ exhibition from the Albertina’s website.

Preview the exhibition below | See Apollo’s Picks of the Week here

Design for an exercise and industrial exhibition hall in Vienna (1853), Paul Wilhelm Eduard Sprenger. Albertina, Wien

The red mosque in the park in Schwetzingen (1793), Karl Kuntz. Albertina, Wien

Hofpavillon der Stadtbahn in Vienna-Hietzing (1898), Otto Wagner. Albertina, Wien

13 houses for Dagmar Grill, Design no. 9 (1947), Josef Frank. Albertina, Wien

Belo Horizonte, Cathedral study (1942–50), Clemens Holzmeister. Albertina, Wien