This exhibition provides a high-quality cross-section of the decade and of the MUSA collection. It aims, on the one hand, to delineate the major developments of art in Vienna, and, on the other, to clarify for the observer the characteristic focus of the art sponsorship program. The resulting retrospective reveals not only the rich abundance of, but also the gaps in the collection, which arose from the broad-based but not particularly progressive cultural policy of the time.

After documenting the 1950s. this MUSA exhibition and catalogue con- tinue the chronological tour of the collection of contemporary art held by the City of Vienna.

From 1960 to 1969, ca. 3,800 works were acquired, and 460 objects were realized as part of its "art-in-architecture" scheme. Later acquisitions and do-nations to the collection have brought its holdings in art to ca. 4,300 works. In the public perception of this decade, the "Viennese School of Fantastic Realism" reigned supreme. In addition, there were numerous variants of abstract art and realism; from 1968 on, the group "Wirklichkeiten" champi-oned fresh ideas. The most widely recognized contribution to the interna-tional avant-garde is the work of the Viennese Actionists that was highly controversial at its time.

Berthold Ecker describes the history of the collection and the acquisitions policies of that decade; Wolfgang Hilger draws on his personal memories to offer firsthand insights into the Viennese art world of the era. Bernhard Denscher's contribution discusses Austrian cultural policies of the decade, which wavered between stagnation and new beginnings. Monika Platzer sheds light on "art-in-architecture" as a reflection of a communicative proc-ess; Elisabeth Voggeneder examines Austrian positions in the context of international tendencies. Theresia Hauenfels's essay offers a general history of this decade of change, highlighting important cultural developments.

Eine phantastische Moderne

 Die lg60erJahre in der Sammlung der

 Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien - MUSA

A Fantastic Modernism

 The 1960s in the Collection of the Department for

 Cultural Affairs of the City of Vienna - MUSA

 Berthold Ecker

Erinnerungen und Anmerkungen

 Subjektives zu Wiens Kunstbetrieb in den 60er Jahren

Recollections and Remarks

 A subjective look at the Viennese art scene of the 1960s

 Wolfgang Hilger

Bewegter Stillstand

 Politische Kultur und Kulturpolitik der 1960er Jahre in Osterreich

Standstill in Motion

 Political culture and cultural politics in 1960s Austria

 Bernhard Denscher

Ein Jahrzehnt des Wandels

A Decade of Change

 Theresia Hauenfels

Kunst am Bau der 60er Jahre -

"dekorierte Architektur" oder Kommunikationskonzept?

Art-in-architecture in the 1960s -

"Decorated Architecture" or Method of Communication?

 Monika Platzer

Boeckl, Brus und Bauer treffen Beuys, Rauschenberg und Weiner

 Aspekte 5sterreichischer Positionen im Kontext internationaler Tendenzen

 - eine Skizze

Boeckl, Brus, and Bauer Meet Beuys, Rauschenberg, and Weiner

 Aspects of Austrian positions in the context of international trends:

 a sketch

 Elisabeth Voggeneder

1960-1969

 Ankaufsstatistik / Acquisition Statistics

 Preistragerlnnen / Award Winners

 Wien in den 60er Jahren / Vienna in the 1960s

Katalog Catalogue

Werkverzeichnis List of Works

Impressum End Matter