Akademie Der Bildenden Künste

Lonely Planet review

The Akademie der bildenden Künste (Academy of Fine Arts) is often passed over in favour of the bigger galleries yet is rewarding all the same. Its gallery concentrates on the classic Flemish, Dutch and German painters and includes Hieronymus Bosch, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Rubens, Titian, Guardi, and Cranach the Elder. It still operates as an art school, famous for rejecting Adolf Hitler twice and accepting Egon Schiele, who left soon after.

The supreme highlight is Hieronymus Bosch's impressive and gruesome Triptych of the Last Judgement altarpiece (1504-08), with the banishment of Adam and Eve on the left panel and the horror of Hell in the middle and right panels. Many of the paintings are quite dark, which make Rubens use of light and colour all that more striking. His Bacchanal (1611-15) is a genuine masterpiece; a stupefied Bacchus, full with wine and food, barely focuses on the viewer, while his playmates continue their revelry in the background. The building itself has an attractive façade and was designed by Theophil Hansen (of Parlament fame). Directly in front of the academy a statue of Schiller takes pride of place on Schillerplatz.

Audio guides are available for an extra around €2 , and tours (around €3 ), in German only, take place at 10:30 every Sunday.