Archiv:
Leitung OR Silvia Herkt, BA, MA
Kostüm-
und Modesammlung: Leitung Dr. phil. Elisabeth Frottier, MAS
Kunst-
& Designsammlung
Oskar
Kokoschka-Zentrum: Leitung Sen.Sc. Mag.phil. Dr.phil. Bernadette Reinhold
Victor
J. Papanek Foundation:
Leitung Univ.-Prof. Dr.phil. Alison Jane ClarkeAmong the crystallisation points of the Viennese Jugendstil was the Imperial School of Arts and Crafts. The roots
of our collection reach back to this period and in 1963 the then Academy of Applied Arts decided upon the “creation of documentations
and collections,” and in 1978, under Rector Johannes Spalt, the university archive was placed on a scientific footing. During
the rectorship of Oswald Oberhuber, from 1979 onwards, an increasing number of artworks were purchased. The current linkage
between the art collection and the historical documentation was established under Dr. Erika Patka. She administered the collections
from 1980 to 2004 and expanded them to present form. In 2004, under Rector Gerald Bast, the historically significant “Costume
and Fashion Collection” with its 5,500 objects was integrated into the main collection.
Collections
The
stock of the collections have a number of focal points, which are of importance in both a national and international context.
These include:
- The art of the Viennese Werkstätte, Jugendstil, Viennese modern
- Architectural models of
significant buildings from the Austrian modern movement
- Examples from every area of 20th century applied and fine
arts
- The Costume and Fashion with historical items dating back to the 18th century.
- The Oskar Kokoschka Centre
(study library, photo collection, archives and since 2005, the private library of Oskar and Olda Kokoschka)
- The estate
of Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky
Assignments and development perspectives
The collections serve access
to the arts, research and teaching through:
- Publications, exhibitions, symposia
- Teaching events given by its
employees, which are allocated to the various institutes of the university
- Co-operation projects, to date, e.g. with
students from the Institute of Conservation Sciences and Restoration/Technology, with students of the Institute of Design,
in particular from the fashion area, and with all staff members with an interest in contemporary and historical collection
items
- Research projects related to the various areas of the collection, which have long been financed by research
funding bodies (Scientific Research Support Fund, Austrian National Bank, City of Vienna ...)
- Loans for external exhibitions
and teamwork on the related catalogues
- Daily public opening hours and the provision of materials and know-how to all
students, authors of dissertations and theses, as well as post-doctoral and all other researchers.
All these
assignments are to be maintained in years to come. This should involve the expansion of the collections with regard to contemporary
developments in art, design and architecture with a focus on the creative work our current graduates and teachers. The future
of the collections lies in their role as a research centre for the continuously expanding collection stocks. This will allow
the historical questioning of the identity of our university and its respective redefinition with regard to current events.
